Wild Hearts
by adoctoraday
Summary: When Myra Valdez, an Amity chooses Dauntless, she never expected her whole world to be turned upside down. But when she meets her instructor, she knows her life will never be the same. (Story is set in the first year of Four and Eric being instructors, before Tris.)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everybody, so I loved the Divergent series and was thrilled with the movie, so I decided to do some writing! :) Also, how f-ing hot was Eric in the movie?! So yea, please read, review and enjoy! **

Myra Valdez lay in the sunshine, eyes closed, reveling in the feeling of the sun warming her skin. As an Amity, she instinctually enjoyed nature and all of its beauty. She was supposed to be harvesting, but she had instead snuck off to the edge of the fields, away from the others to be by herself and think of the testing she would be facing the next day. At sixteen years old, she was now eligible to take the test. She knew it would make her face her fears; make her try to overcome them. She had spoken with her father about the test, asking for advice on how to do well. He had simply told her, "Stay calm and use your intellect. Think." Myra sighed, throwing her arm over her face. She should get back, help the others with harvesting. She wanted to lay on the outskirts forever. Sighing deeper, Myra stood, brushing off her pants. She walked slowly back to the others, wishing she could sprout wings and fly away, free from everything.

**Later**

Hours later as the sun was setting, Myra and her parents sat down to dinner. They talked of their days, of the things they had done and accomplished. Her father spoke of his day assisting in planning the new farms out past the wall, happiness in every facet of his face. Her mother spoke of her day teaching children, shaping their minds. Myra sat quietly, offering a word here or there. After dinner she climbed up to the roof of their house, laying down, watching the last light leave the sky and the stars begin to show their faces. She heard a noise off to her left and was surprised to see her father climbing up to join her. He sank down to the ground beside her, "Hey pumpkin." Myra turned her head and smiled at her father, "Hey dad." They lay in silence until her father spoke, "Faction before blood is bullshit. I want you to choose what makes you happy." Myra turned to look at him, shocked. He sighed and then rolled up his sleeves. Myra was shocked to see tattoos on her father's arms. She had never seen him without long sleeves, even in the summer. "I was Dauntless. I left because I met your mother in the fields while on guard duty. After meeting with her and talking for months on end, I came to realize that I no longer felt at home in Dauntless. When it came time for me to take the test and choose, I chose her." Myra and her father lay looking up at the stars after he stopped speaking. Her father reached out and took her hand, "We will love you no matter what faction you choose. We will always be your family." Myra nodded, "Thank you dad." He smiled at her and squeezed her hand softly, "Come on kiddo. You need a good night's sleep if you want to be ready for the test tomorrow." He stood, pulling her to her feet. They walked to the edge of their house and climbed down together.

As Myra climbed into bed, her mind was racing. She hoped that the test would give her an answer on what to do.

**The next day**

Myra sat in the hallway out side the testing room, waiting for her turn. The door opened and a man dressed in all black called her name. Myra stood and entered the room, looking around, seeing there was just one chair. The Dauntless man indicated for her to sit, and began placing electrodes on her. He spoke very little until he held up an injection gun, "This will initiate the test." At Myra's nod, he injected it into the crook of her left arm. Myra closed her eyes, breathing deeply, and reopened her eyes.

_She was standing in the middle of the harvest fields, watching as a storm front moved towards her. Lightning cracked, sparking to the ground, lighting the field on fire. Fear sparked in Myra, and she remembered what she had been told about lighting striking tall items. Seeing no trees around Myra ran from the fire, lighting striking around her, igniting more flames. Myra came to a halt at the edge of the field, which had suddenly turned into a cliff. She felt the flames licking closer, pushing her towards the edge. Myra looked over the edge, hoping there was something over the edge to save her; but saw only a deep dark chasm. Gritting her teeth, Myra turned back to the flames, seeing that they were moving closer. Myra took a deep breath and covered her face, running into the flames…_

_Myra broke through the flames and stood in the city, looking wildly around. She was alone, the city quiet. Myra moved quickly through the city, calling out, "Hello?" never hearing an answer. Worry gnawed at her stomach. Something awful must have happened for the whole city to be gone. Myra walked to the city center, where she was stopped short by the sight of her mother and father, being held at gunpoint by a man in a mask. He looked up to her, "Choose." Sick realization hit her, she had to choose one to live. She shook her head violently, NO. The man laughed and pulled the trigger, one rapidly after the other. Myra screamed as she watched her parents die. _

Myra sat up violently in the chair, her breath panting. The Dauntless man pushed her back down, "Breathe, it'll pass in a second." He began to remove the electrodes; Myra's heart began to slow its wild rhythm. Wiping a hand over her face she asked, "What did I get?" The man smirked, "Dauntless." Myra sat, unable to process. He walked to the door and opened it, "You're done with this part. Go home and rest. Take your time in choosing." Myra nodded, already her mind was racing. She arrived back to her house awhile later, and both her parents were gone. Myra climbed to the roof, lay down and closed her eyes. Amity or Dauntless? Where did she belong? Myra sighed, it was going to be a long night.

**Ok, so let me know what you think, more is on the way!**


	2. Wild Hearts Chapter 2

Eric and Four stood before Max, waiting to hear what the Dauntless leader had in store for them. He stood at attention, watching as Max gave them both deep, assessing looks. Eric knew that Four had beaten his final score by just a few points, but Eric had shown far more initiative in his fear landscape than the little scaredy cat had. There was little that scared Eric, and he had moved through his fear landscape much more rapidly than Four. Max finally spoke, "Well Eric, Four, it looks like you will share in the training of the transfers. After a year we will asses who has made the most improvement on their trainees." Eric raised a pierced eyebrow, but said nothing. Four simply nodded. Max smirked at them, "Dismissed gentlemen." Eric turned quickly, exiting the room first. He gave Four a cold smile as he came level with Eric, "Good luck Four. I promise not to crush you too badly." Four gave him a tight smile and simply walked away. Eric watched him walk away, thinking, the new initiates would be here within a few hours, he needed to get to the roof eventually. But first, he was going to go see Tori and get a new tattoo. He had his eye on one for his back. Eric smiled as he descended to the Pit, he couldn't wait to get his hands on the new recruits.

**At the choosing ceremony**

Myra sat with her parents and her faction, dressed in a pair of brown leggings, dark red tunic and brown boots. Her long, curly black hair was plaited into a braid, hanging down one side of her neck. She sat between her mother and father, each of them holding her hands. It seemed as though it took hours for the list to work its way down to her. With each transfer her mothers' hand gripped hers tighter. Finally, her name was called. Myra stood, embraced first her mother who was silently crying, and then her father, who whispered, "Be happy." She nodded as she pulled away. Squaring her shoulders, Myra walked slowly to the dais, feeling eyes all around the room on her. Myra stood on the dais, took the knife, and made a cut to her hand. Her world slowed, her eyes closed, she could hear her heart pounding in her chest. _Fly free_ her heart pounded out. Smiling, she swung her hand out, squeezed, and heard the sizzle of her blood on the coals. Myra's eyes popped open at the sound of the Dauntless cheering. Myra bound her hand and walked over to her new faction, but looked over to her family, offering a smile filled with _I'm sorry _and no small amount of sadness. Her mother was wrapped in her father's arms, crying. Her father looked both sad and immensely proud. He gave her a small, sad smile and nodded. Myra found herself being swept along with the Dauntless as they left the ceremony hall, running through the city, shouting and whooping.

As they came upon the train tracks, Myra noticed that the others were climbing the rail posts. Grinning, Myra scrambled after the others. Reaching the top, she felt the metal vibrating as the train came into sight. She had often seen the Dauntless jumping on and off the train and so she was prepared for what came next. She took off running, and vaulted herself into the traincar, tucking and rolling, landing neatly. Myra stood, brushing off her pants, and moved to the doorway to watch the city blow by. Her attention was caught by another girl who had scraped her hand open and was trying to staunch it on her Abnegation grey dress. Myra crouched down, "Hey, I'm Myra, do you need some help with that?" The girl nodded, "Thank you. I'm Kailey." Myra smiled at her, "Hey Kailey, nice to meet you. I'm going to rip off a part of your dress and bind this up ok?" Kailey nodded and watched her actions intently. "You're pretty good at this" she remarked. Myra smiled wryly, "Well when you are in the fields with sharp knives and tools, accidents happen. You have to learn pretty quickly how to fix them." Kailey nodded, that made sense. Myra stood back up offering her hand to Kailey, "Come on I think we're almost there." The girls moved back to the doorway, and Kailey looked scared as she spoke, "Are people jumping onto that roof?! Oh my lord! They are!" Myra watched as people further up the train jumped to a rooftop. Sighing she gave Kailey a wry smile, "Well I guess it's just the first step of initiation right? How about we jump together?" Kailey nodded her head, gulping audibly. Myra gave her a reassuring smile, took her hand, backed up, and said, "On three. Remember to tuck your body in and try to roll. One..two..THREE!" They ran together to the door and flew across the gap to the roof. Myra let go of Kailey's hand, tucking and rolling her way across the roof. Her back slammed into the wall, the air knocked out of her lungs momentarily. Sitting up, Myra looked around and saw that Kailey had made it, and was a little scrapped up, but otherwise ok. She looked around the roof and saw that the other initiates were gathering near the edge of the roof. "Come on" she called to Kailey, walking over to the group. They were soon joined by four other people, three boys and one other girl, bringing their group total to 12. They talked amongst themselves for a few minutes, introducing themselves, making small talk about their former factions.

"QUIET INITIATES!" Myra was one of the few who didn't flinch at the shout, but simply turned to see who was speaking. It was a man, probably around 19 years old, standing before the group. He was an imposing figure that was for certain. In tight black pants, a black jacket, and piercings in his eyebrow and ears, Myra instantly had the impression he was not a man to be fucked with. She noted the tattoos on his neck, and the ones that dipped under his shirt. She saw two other Dauntless leaders on the roof with tattoos, and got hopeful that she would be able to get one of her own. She suddenly noticed that the man was staring back at her, and raised an eyebrow at her perusal. Instead of looking away as he probably expected, Myra raised her own eyebrow back and gave him a small smirk. Breaking eye contact with her, he turned to the rest of the group. "My name is Eric and I will be one of your leaders in training. We will be together for the next year. But first to get into Dauntless, you have to jump." At this he pointed over the edge of the building, "Who's first?" he asked with a twisted grin. Every one of the initiates stood stock still. Myra looked around, seeing no one was going to move, and pushed her way forward. She looked into Eric's face, "I'll go." He raised his eyebrow again at her, "Amity, huh? Thought you all were just as peace loving as the Stiffs." Myra climbed up onto the edge of the building and looked down, seeing a dark hole below. She looked back at Eric, "Most are. Some of us though, we want more." After turning around to face the hole, she gave a small laugh, "Some of us want to fly" and leaped off the building in a swan dive, shrieking in delight. She tucked her body as she fell, and had her breath once again knocked out of her as she collided with a net. Looking up through the hole at the light, Myra laughed. She had flown! The net tilted and she went rolling off, into the strong arms of another man. This one was around the same age as Eric, but with no piercings and the only tattoos she could see were on the back of his neck. "Name?" he asked. "Myra Valdez." He nodded and called out, "First jumper; Myra!" Myra backed away from the net as another person bounced onto it. She was in. Myra grinned.

Eric had been momentarily stunned by the Amity girl's boldness. Never had he seen anyone dive off the building with no fear. Even he hadn't. Her laughter and screams of delight had sent a thrill through him. He turned back to the group with a smirk, "Alright, who has balls like that?" He could tell this was going to be an interesting year.

**Ok guys just an FYI, in case you were wondering, you pronounce Myra like a person with a Boston accent would pronounce mirror-mirrah. I hope that made sense lol So yea, I'm already working on the next chapter, but please review/like/follow to your heart's content! :) Till later amigos! **


	3. Wild Hearts Chapter 3

Myra and the rest of the initiates were lead through the Dauntless headquarters by Four and Eric, being shown the general layout. Myra memorized the layout of the rooms as best as possible, committing to memory where the open air training rooms were, the cafeteria, the Pit, and finally, their dormitories. Four and Eric ushered them into the room, "Come on, don't be shy now Stiff!" Eric called to Kailey, making the young girl's face blush. Myra moved closer to her new friend and nudged her shoulder with her own. Kailey gave her a small smile before going back to studying the floor. "Take a look around initiates. This is all yours, to share, for the next year. So get comfortable, _fast._" Four said with a small smirk. Eric grinned as well, "You have five minutes to change, and then meet us in the hallway. We are burning your old clothing and then heading straight to your first round of training." The group parted as Eric and Four moved between them and out the door.

Myra motioned to Kailey to follow her, making her way to the end of the room, choosing two beds closest to the showers. She grabbed up the clothes on the bed and sorted out the women's clothes from the men's. Stripping off her tunic, pants and boots, she quickly donned the black jeans, black tank top, and black boots. Myra looked over to her new friend and saw tears in Kailey's eyes as she tried to change without revealing herself. Myra sighed, "Come on Kailey. You can do this. You chose Dauntless for a reason. Just do it quick, like a bandage." Kailey gulped, and nodded, hurrying her movements, quickly changing her clothes. Myra gathered up her clothes and headed to the door, Kailey close behind her.

They were joined shortly by the rest of the group, and were faced by Four, who lead them down the hallway leading to the left. As they walked they were able to feel the heat growing in the hallway, and see flame-light flickering on the walls ahead. As they rounded the corner, they were hit with the full heat of the fire and the sight of the flames. "Toss in your old faction clothing and leave it behind." Four told them. Myra held her clothes to her face, briefly inhaling the scent of her home, the fields, sun warmed dirt, and then tossed it into the fire. She watched it burn, turning as she heard a small noise of distress. Kailey was watching her Abnegation clothing burn, crying softly. Myra reached out and took her hand, "It's ok. You're strong enough for this Kae." Kailey nodded and smiled at her, wiping away the last of her tears.

Once the last of the group had tossed in their clothes, Four marched them into the training area. They lined up, waiting for instruction. Four stood next to Eric, assessing them before speaking. "Your training comes in two parts, physical and mental. We will push you to the breaking point of each, until you become stronger." Four gave them another look, "Today we start with physical. Let's go." Four and Eric broke out into a jog, not turning to see if they were being followed, simply expecting it. The group took off after them, some able to keep up with the even pace that their leaders set as they wound through the Dauntless headquarters and outside it; others fell further behind.

_Breathe…in…out…you aren't going to die! _Myra thought to herself. She had run before, not for really long periods of time, but so far she was doing okay-ish. Glancing around, she didn't see Kailey near her. Peering over her shoulder, Myra saw Kailey near the back of the stretched out group. Myra felt bad, but didn't slow down; everything they did was assessed for points and put them in a ranking. She needed to start out well and continue to do as well as she could. After what felt like hours, Eric and Four drew them to a halt back in the training room, scolding those who tried to collapse to the floor. "GET UP INITIATE!" Eric yelled at one young man, Myra thought his name was Mike. "Put your hands on top of your head if you feel like you can't breathe" Eric told the boy. Myra started stretching, slowing down her breathing, until she no longer felt like her heart would bust out of her chest. As she stood from a toe-touch she noticed Eric's eyes on her, and stared back at him, defiant, she was Dauntless after all. Smirking at her, he turned away, "Ok initiates, time for some body bag work. Spread out and get to work. We'll be around to correct your form."

Myra and Kailey moved to body bags next to each other and began to punch their respective bags. Myra's father had taught her how to throw a punch a few years earlier after a boy had begun bullying her. She began striking the bag, not too hard, she wanted to have strength to continue for awhile. Myra continued striking the bag, twisting her body. Strike, twist away, strike. She formed a rhythm, and began to feel a sweat building. She saw Eric and Four moving down the line, speaking to the others, correcting movements here and there, moving slowly closer to her and Kailey. Four came up beside Kailey and observed her for a moment, then, "Not terrible, but you need to put more weight behind your punch. And keep your stomach muscles tighter. Pivot on that back foot when you throw the punch." He demonstrated for her and then motioned for her to continue.

Meanwhile, Eric had come up to Myra, observing her form. She felt him watching, but didn't slow, didn't say anything. He moved closer, grabbed her arm, and stopped her from throwing hr next punch. "You obviously know how to throw a punch, but your form is sloppy. Remember to keep your other arm up to block the other person's punch."He stood behind her, pulling her left arm up higher into the blocking position, "There. Now keep it there while you punch." Myra's skin shivered as his breath whispered across her neck. She stiffened her body, pivoted, keeping her arm up in a block and threw a hard jab with her right hand. As the bag swung back towards her she used her blocking arm to keep it from pushing her back. Myra turned to Eric, "Better?" He nodded, "Keep at it until your arm gets tired and then switch arms, you need to be good with both." He walked away, moving on to the next person. Myra turned back to her bag, taking an unsteady breath. _You are not allowed to like Eric…nope nope keep punching that bag._Myra thought to herself. She began to throw her punches again, harder this time. She kept throwing punches until her right arm was so sore she could barely throw it. She switched sides, and began to throw punches from her left side. After another half hour of punching and switching sides, Eric and Four called them to a halt.

They moved away from their bags and stood in a line, facing their leaders. Eric and Four stood before them, silent for a moment. Finally Four spoke. "After today's run and your workout, we have assessed your skill and have come up with the initial rankings. Take a look at the board and see where you fall." They all turned to look at the board and watched as their names appeared. Myra suppressed a grin as her name appeared at number 8. She wasn't all the way at the top, but unlike Kailey who was at 11, she wasn't almost at the bottom. Eric spoke, "You have 30 minutes until dinner. I suggest you shower and change. We will see you in the cafeteria." Kailey turned to Myra, "Can you show me how to throw a better punch? Please?" Myra saw Eric hang back for a moment, watching them. She smiled at Kailey, "Sure, come on." They walked back to the bags and began practicing their punches, Myra slowing down her throws to show Kailey how to punch.

Eric watched the Amity girl, Myra help the Stiff practice her punches. He was intrigued by her, he knew Amity were practically programmed to be kind, but she was different. She wasn't just kind, she was helpful, and sweet, and ballsy. He had been impressed by her from the moment she had swan dived off the building, and now she was willing to help another initiate who could get better and knock her down in the rankings. He shook his head and walked away. _Don't get attached…don't like her, _he told himself. Yet despite himself, he thought back to when he had moved closer to her and had wrapped an arm around her, feeling her body pressed against his. Rubbing a hand over his face, Eric decided a quick cold shower was in order before dinner. _I'm in trouble_ he thought to himself wryly.

**:D Just getting started on the fun stuff! I'm trying to give a little more insight into Eric's mind, so I hope you guys like it. More soon! **


	4. Wild Hearts Chapter 4

**Hey guys, sorry it took so long! I've been god awful busy with both jobs and I had this chapter planned, but literally no time or energy to sit and write. So here it is, I hope you like it! I'll get to work on the next few chapters soon!**

After Myra and Kailey had worked on Kailey's punches for another 20 minutes, they were both quite tired, and headed out from the training area to their dorms to shower quickly and grab some lunch. Myra stood under the hot water, letting it soothe out her sore muscles, and washed her body off. She didn't bother washing her hair, seeing as they had training again this afternoon. Sighing, she turned off the water and grabbed her towel. Myra dressed quickly and was soon joined by Kailey. They made their way to the cafeteria and saw that it was relatively empty of their co-initiates, but there were a few. Myra looked at Kailey, giving her a questioning look, asking with her eyes if they should join. Kailey looked skeptical, but shrugged her assent. They walked over and stood next to a young man with black skin, and a girl with abnormally pale skin and red hair who both looked up at them. Myra spoke, "Hey guys, I'm Myra, this is Kailey, can we join you?" The boy and the girl exchanged a look before smiling and nodding. The pale girl spoke, "Hey, I'm Serena, formerly of Erudite. It's nice to meet you." Myra smiled at her and turned to the young man, who introduced himself next. "Hey, I'm Caleb. I'm from Amity." Myra took a closer look at his face, but had a hard time placing it. It was a large city after all. She smiled at them both, "It's nice to meet you guys. How are you guys feeling after this morning?" She asked as she dug into a plate of grilled chicken, vegetables and grains. They both laughed and winced, Serena rubbing her arms, "Man I didn't know I was able to hurt this bad!" Caleb grimaced good naturedly, "Yea, and we still have 2 more hours of training this afternoon…man I don't know how we'll make it!" They all groaned in shared misery, laced with a sort of excitement. After finishing their lunch, Myra asked the group what they were planning on doing with their remaining free time, and laughed when told by Serena and Caleb that they were going to nap. It sounded appealing, but she knew she needed to be alert, and taking a nap now would only leave her groggy. Kailey just shrugged, "What did you want to do?" Myra watched Serena and Caleb leave the cafeteria, and then turned back, "How about we go check out the Pit and see where they do tattoos?" Kailey made a face, but stood and nodded her assent.

"Do you want to get a tattoo?" Myra asked Kailey as they looked at countless designs down in the Pit parlor. "No. I don't want one until I know for sure that I've made it" Kailey answered quietly. Myra looked at her sharply, and then turned her attention back to the tattoo designs before speaking, "You'll make it. You just need to find the reason you chose Dauntless and fight for that reason." She saw Kailey go still out of the corner of her eye and decided to let her think on that, moving away to look at other designs. Flipping through design books, Myra finally came across a tattoo that she knew was perfect. She picked up the book and took it over to the man sitting beside the chair, and asked, "Can I have this please?" He assessed her choice and nodded, "Where would you like it?" "My wrist please" Myra held out her right wrist. He nodded again and indicated for her to sit down. Myra handed him the book, and sat, closing her eyes. She heard him prepping, and then the sound of the needle. She jumped ever so lightly when the needle touched her skin, and then her eyes flew open for a moment when a hand grabbed hers, her eyes flicked up to see Kailey by her side, smiling down at her. Myra smiled her thanks, squeezed Kailey's hand, and closed her eyes again. It wasn't the worst pain she had ever felt. She had broken her wrist when she was 9, and that had been far, far worse. It was simply….not fun. After about thirty minutes the needle shut off and the man spoke, "All done, take a look." Myra opened her eyes and looked down at her wrist to see a perfect ship wheel compass. It had struck her when she saw it; the wheel providing a means of changing direction, the compass always guiding. She would never be lost. She could always fly free. She smiled softly when she saw it. "It's perfect, thank you" she said, smiling up at the man. He smiled back at her, "Give your name at the desk and the credits will be deducted from your account. Glad you like it." Myra stood and went to the desk, doing as the man had told her.

She and Kailey headed back upstairs to the training area, they were expected for training shortly and didn't want to be late. They were among the first in the room, and so they sat on the edge of the sparring ring, chatting quietly about their new friends, Serena and Caleb, and whether they would be able to stay friends. Myra and Kailey went quiet as the rest of the initiates filtered into the room, followed closely by Eric and Four. Eric and Four were discussing something in a heated manner, until Eric's eye caught Myra's, at which point his conversation broke off and he spoke to the room. "All right initiates! Shut up! It's time to start working those legs. Go back to your bags and practice doing front kicks until we tell you to switch." Everyone scurried into position, not wanting to draw Eric's eye to them, seeing that he was in a foul mood.

Myra and Kailey stuck close to each other once again, but were pleasantly surprised when they were joined by Serena and Caleb. They all shared a quick smile before going to work on their kicks. They all worked steadily on their kicks, switching legs over time, receiving instruction from Four and Eric when needed. "All right guys I want you to do combo punch-kicks" Four called out. Myra wiped her face off, suppressing a groan, her whole body was tired, and she knew they weren't close to being done yet. She began combo punch/kicks on her right side until she couldn't continue and then switched to her left side. She was quite tired when Eric called out, "Stop initiates! Line up facing each other!" Myra and Kailey quickly moved to face each other, sharing a tired smile. Eric walked down the middle of the row, "You will now practice on each other your strikes and kicks until we tell you to stop. Right side goes first." Myra saw Kailey swallow nervously, and raise her arms to begin striking. Myra blocked her strikes easily, but sucked in her breath when one of Kailey's kicks connected with her ribs. "I'm sorry! Are you ok?!" Kailey whispered. Myra nodded, indicating for her to continue. They continued until they were told to change the person striking. Myra began striking at Kailey, easily breaking past her defense to knock her back. Myra was frustrated, and pulled her strikes back. She suddenly felt a presence behind her, and knew it was Eric. "Don't pull your punches. If she can't handle it, that's her fault not yours" he spoke over her shoulder. Myra still continued to hold back, until Eric stepped between her and Kailey, grabbing her fist, stopping her punch completely. He nudged Kailey backwards, "Watch how it should be done initiate." He faced Myra and stood in the guard position, "Let's go."

Myra assessed him for a moment and began to strike at him, not overly hard, but steadily. He blocked her punches, one after the other. Myra studied his form, watching his shoulders, core and arms. She decided to break up the momentum and throw a kick towards Eric's knee, which he promptly dodged and came back at her with a kick to her thigh. Myra stiffened her leg, absorbing the blow, wincing. She and Eric began trading punches and kicks until Four walked up, "Enough Eric". They continued for another moment until Myra landed a hard right hook to Eric's face and Four stepped between them to prevent him from retaliating. "_Enough Eric"_ Four said, laying a hand on his arm, pushing him back slightly.

Myra stood, hear heart pounding, her breath coming in steady pants. Her left eye was starting to swell shut from a blow Eric had landed, and the right side of her ribcage was screaming at her. She was pleased to see that Eric had a split lip and a blooming bruise on his right cheek. She might not have done as much damage to him as he did to her, but by God, she had held her own. Eric turned to the initiates, "You guys are done for today. Get out of here. Your scores will be posted at dinner." Myra fled the room with everyone else, thankful that Eric didn't hold her back.

After showering, changing and eating dinner Myra told Kailey that she wanted some alone time and was pleased when the other girl was gracious enough to leave her in peace. Myra made her way to the roof of the Dauntless compound, where they had entered, just a day ago. It already seemed like she had always been here. Myra sat on the edge of the building in the corner, her back pressed against the warm brick, her left eye less swollen after having had some ice applied and some sort of cream from the infirmary. Myra lifted her shirt and looked down at her right side, seeing that it was all a dark purple. Sighing, she lowered her shirt. The nurse in the infirmary had said there were no broken bones, just the usual damage from training. _HA!The usual. _Myra thought to herself with a small laugh, that quickly turned into a groan of pain. Closing her eyes, Myra sat, absorbing the last of the sunlight, wondering how she would make it through training tomorrow, wondering why Eric had chosen her to work his frustration out on. Myra heard soft footsteps on the gravel on the rooftop and sighed. She had wanted to be left in peace, but apparently someone had other ideas.

"You know, someone could easily throw you off the roof if you aren't paying attention, initiate." Myra opened her eyes slowly, suppressing her surprise to hear Eric's voice. "What makes you think I didn't hear you coming?" she asked. "What makes you think I couldn't prevent you if I tried?" Eric asked with a ghost of a smile, sitting down on the ledge across from her. Myra nodded, "True. But I still knew someone else was up here." Eric raised an eyebrow at her, "_Really?_ How?" he asked, doubtful. Myra grinned, "You're hair. You just showered and it still smells like the shampoo you use." Eric sat staring at her, saying nothing, until, "You're a hell of a lot smarter than I expected an Amity to be." Myra smiled at him, "Yea, my dad encouraged me to read."

Eric sat across from Myra, amazed by the young woman. She was bruised by him, and yet she still showed no fear of him. He had let his temper and his jealousy get the best of him. She didn't know, but he had seen her getting her tattoo and he had heard the tattoo artist talking about her afterwards, in a way that he himself probably would have if she was just some girl on the street he didn't know…hell he barely knew her now, and he had wanted to punch the guy. Now he wanted to hold her and tell her he was sorry for hurting her. Whaaaat the hell was going on? She spoke, "You really did a number on my ribs by the way. I don't know how well I'll do tomorrow. I'm going to work as hard as I can, but I don't think I'll do well." She looked worried. Eric thought for a moment and then stood and offered her his hand, "Come on. I've got something for your ribs." The look of surprise on her face was so sweet and innocent it killed him. She put her hand in his and let him pull her to her feet, wincing as her ribs protested. They walked in companionable silence through the Dauntless compound to Eric's quarters. He unlocked his door and ushered her in, nervous at having her in his quarters.

Myra looked around and saw a place that was male, Dauntless, and began to explain to her Eric. There were hand drawn pictures on the wall beside the window, some of animals, some of landscape, and one of….her? Myra stared at it…yea, that was definitely her. She refrained from saying anything, and turned when she heard Eric clear his throat nervously behind her. He held a tube of cream, "This will reduce the swelling and numb the pain. Let's get some on now, and then reapply tomorrow morning, ok?" Myra nodded and walked over to take the tube. Eric pulled his hand back, "Let me. I did this to you. Let me fix it." Myra hesitated, he could see that, he could see she was confused. After a moment she nodded, and lifted her shirt up to just under her breasts and held it there, standing close to him, her eyes locked with his. Eric looked down at her ribs and winced at what he had done. He was trying to teach them to fight, but he had gone too hard, too quickly. "Damn I'm sorry. This must hurt like a bitch" he said as he rubbed the cream over her ribs, his hand gentle. Myra's breathing was shallow and just slightly rapid as she answered, "Uhh, it's ok. I'll handle it." _God, the feeling of his hand on me…_Myra thought to herself. She was breathing as evenly as possible, and thought that any unevenness could be blamed on pain. Eric had noticed her breathing hitch and speed up when he had been touching her, and he tried not to think about why that could be. It was bad enough he had hurt her, he couldn't think about following through on anything that might, could, possibly, even slightly be occurring here. Eric turned away, grabbing a towel to wipe his hands on. "Thank you Eric. I appreciate it. That already feels better." He heard her voice over his shoulder. He turned back around, to see her studying the picture of herself again. _Shhhhhiiiiiitttt…._Eric walked over to Myra and handed her the tube of cream. "Remember to apply it again in the morning." Eric walked her to the door, "I'm sorry, again that I hurt you." Myra smiled up at him, reached up to touch the bruise she had left and said, "Hey I kicked your ass too, no worries!" Eric laughed, his heart lighter, "Oh, you kicked my ass huh? Doubtful." Myra smiled wider, "Yea, not really, but you're smiling, and it looks good on you." She leaned up and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. "Night Eric."

Myra turned away and walked quickly away from Eric and headed back through the maze of hallways. _HOLY SHIT I JUST KISSED ERIC!_ Myra was practically yelling in her own head. She wanted to know if she had just made a huge mistake, but that was something only time could tell. Imagining a future of her and Eric, Myra giggled and then pressed her hand over her mouth. Just because he had a picture of her didn't mean he liked her like that….it could just be practice…right? Myra grinned. She had some work to do.

**As always, thank you for reading, let me know what you think, and till next time, much love :D**


	5. Wild Hearts Chapter 5

Myra's first month at Dauntless went by quickly, her body quickly adjusting to the routine of waking early and going through the routine of working out, running, fighting, shooting, and everything else that they had thrown at them. She had grown used to her routine when one day during training, Four called a halt to their sparring and had them all stand in a line. A moment later, twelve Dauntless entered the room and stood opposite them. Four indicated the people standing across from them, "These are your new sparring partners. You will be paired with someone based on your ranking, and you will be with that person for a week, until you improve. After three weeks we will rotate these twelve out for new sparring partners so you don't get too used to their styles. Alright. Let's go"

Myra was paired with a tall black Dauntless woman who was strongly muscled. The woman gave her a once over, and then threw the fastest right hook Myra had ever seen. She blocked, barely. She moved warily, keeping her arms in block position, looking for a weakness in the other woman's defenses, seeing none. Deciding that it was time to test them, she began by throwing a series of punches, which the other woman easily deflected, leaving no openings. Myra saw Four watching out of the corner of her eye, and wondered where Eric was. In that moment the other woman lunged out, using a sweeping movement to try and knock Myra's legs out from under her. Myra wrapped her leg around the woman's trying to bring her down with her, and failed. The woman kicked her hard in the ribs, punching her in the face. Myra collapsed onto the ground, seeing black spots. She coughed, trying to catch her breath. _Goddamn, she's fast,_ she thought to herself. Myra thought that instead of trying to beat her with speed, which she didn't have, she should go with brute force. The other woman was still standing close, thinking she was down, and so she kicked out, her foot connecting with the woman's knee. As the woman stumbled, Myra sprang up and punched her hard in the solar plexus like Eric had shown them. The woman's momentum was forced backwards until Myra threw another fierce right hook, knocking the woman to the ground. Myra stepped out of her kicking range, waiting to see if the woman would get up. Four came over and knelt down by the woman, speaking to her softly. He looked up to Myra, "Good work Myra. Take a break for a few minutes and Cara will be ready to continue." Myra nodded and walked over to the benches, grabbing her water bottle, sucking down some water. She wiped her face, grimacing as she noticed there was blood on her face. Another cut, another scar.

After a few minutes the other woman, Cara, was ready to go again. They sparred for another half hour, going slower this time, Cara taking her time to show her more throws and ways to use her legs. As their afternoon training session ended Cara grinned at her, the first time Myra had seen her do so, and said, "You know, I don't think anyone has impressed Four, or me, since, well, me. We were in the same class and I kicked his ass pretty regularly, so for you to knock me down was pretty good." Myra stood in shock as Cara left her with that information. She walked out of the training room, and snuck out of the building, deciding to go for a run outside. They weren't specifically forbidden to go out on their own, it was just frowned upon. But Myra had long ago decided that she was Dauntless and therefore, if it was frowned upon, she should try it at least once, within reason. Her breathing evened out as her pounded the earth, her mind clearing.

Over the past month she had tried to spend more alone time with Eric, but had been only been able to snatch little more than 30 minutes cobbled together. He hadn't allowed her to get close enough to kiss him again, let alone touch him for any reason other than instruction. He made the occasional comment indicating his pleasure with her progress, but continued to be distant. Growling with frustration, Myra pushed herself faster, and noticed she was coming to the end of the Dauntless compound before they had to catch the train back into the city. She came to a halt, breathing heavily. Walking around the buildings, she noticed that these outer buildings seemed to be abandoned. The one on the edge of the compound was basically an old wood shack, with holes in the roof, the door hinges rusted and the handle worn smooth from use and age. She turned the handle, pushing on the door, surprised to find it opened easily. Upon entering the old house, Myra saw that someone had been there recently. There was a cot, a crate with fruit and bread, and on an old table, paper and pencils. She wondered who would be coming here, was it one of the Factionless? Was one of the Dauntless letting them live here? She stiffened when she heard footsteps from outside, and in the next breath, the door swung open. Turning, she saw Eric standing in the doorway. Her mind quickly processed the messenger bag slung across his shoulder, and the contents of the room, "You. You come here…..why?" she asked, curious.

Eric stood, rooted to the spot. He had never thought that anyone would find his sanctuary. Now, the one person he had considered showing it to, was standing smack in the middle of it. His mind was somehow racing and going blank at the same time. It was inordinately frustrating. He finally found the ability to speak, "What are you doing outside the compound without permission initiate?" he asked harshly. His heart sank when he saw Myra's face at his words. She seemed to wipe her face of emotion and spoke, "I was going for a run and came across this place. I'm sorry I disturbed you. I'll go." As she reached the door she turned to face him, getting closer than he had allowed in weeks, "I can see why you came here Eric. This place is so beautiful. Its brokenness is perfect for drawing." He could feel her eyes on him; he kept his on the floor. If he looked at her, he would get lost in them, and make a terrible decision. He had to remain her instructor, be impartial. He heard her sigh, and then flinched when he felt her hand on his chest, right above his heart. "Is that why you draw? To expose your brokenness?" her whispered words drove straight into him. His eyes came up in a flash to hers, and he held her gaze for a long moment, finally speaking, "I draw to heal it. So I can overcome the darkness of my past." Eric put a hand to her cheek, reveling in its softness for a moment, watching as her eyes closed and she pushed her face closer to his hand. He pulled his hand away, and her eyes opened, "I can't…be…with you. Do you understand Myra? It's not because I don't want you. You got my attention from the first day. But I can't be seen to give favor to anyone." He watched as her expression moved from anger, to frustration and then an unwilling acceptance. She nodded, but caught him off guard when she pushed him hard against the door, pushing it shut. She pressed herself against him, wrapped her arms around him, and pressed her lips to his. Eric's brain felt like someone had poured warm honey in it. Her mouth tasted slightly salty from sweat, but sweet also; his hands moved of their own will, one to wrap around her waist the other to wind through her hair and pull her closer. Myra let out a low moan as he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. After a long few minutes, his brain worked out what was happening and he pushed Myra away. "What the hell was that? Did you not hear what I just said?!" She smiled up at him, "Yea, I did. And I decided that if we were going to deny ourselves the pleasure of being together, I was going to at least get a great memory out of this before you go back to treating me like just another initiate." She reached up to pat his cheek before leaving the house, leaving him to stew in his emotions. Eric sighed, rubbing a hand over his face, _God I'm in trouble, _he thought.

**Ok guys, quick note, I am taking a vacation on Friday and driving across country with my bestie to TX to see my sister! Woot woot. I am not sure yet if I am taking my laptop with me to keep writing or if I will just make you all suffer and wait till I get back! I'll probably knock out another chapter before I leave, so I'll let you know then. But, thank you for reading, please review, and enjoy! Till later! :D**


	6. Wild Hearts Chapter 6

**Hey guys! Sorry it's been awhile! I was driving from DC to San Antonio to visit my sister, and I'm here now! Woot! So now that I've recovered and acquired the goddess of wifi, here is the ch6! I'll get to work on the next one soon. **

Over the next few days Eric found himself thinking of Myra kissing him nearly all the time. He would start to draw a landscape of the city and find that it had morphed into a sketch of her eyes, her mouth, her smiling face….just her all the time. He had never been so concentrated on one person before. He was thankful that she was doing well in the rankings, without obvious help from him. He had even gone so far as to push her harder when he saw her making mistakes, giving her lower scores; Four was pissed, he thought he had a vendetta against her, which frankly worked to their benefit. Eric was in the training building, working with the body bag after having already lifted weights and run, his body tired, but needing to distract his mind. They were coming up on the two month mark for the initiates, the point at which they would use their rankings to see who among the top 6 would be allowed to go visit their families. It was a harsh punishment for those not among the top, but it was also incentive to get better. Those in the bottom 6 were taken on city patrol, which made the deal bittersweet. Every month after the second offered this opportunity for the initiates, always giving them a chance to move themselves into the top positions. Eventually the rankings would stabilize around month 8, when the mental work would begin with the war games, and then in the final month with the fear landscapes they would receive their jobs within Dauntless based off of their rankings and their final test results. It was a long, hard process, but it worked very well in helping people find their place.

Eric threw a violent jab/cross/jab combination when he thought of the possibility of Myra being put on Wall protection duty and him never seeing her again. He knew it was unlikely with her skill set and scores, but still. He continued to beat on the bag until the already weakened rope snapped and the bag came crashing to the floor, sending him stumbling back. "Oh goddamn, really?!" he shouted, kicking the bag. "Now what did that poor bag ever do to you, huh?" he turned quickly, surprised to hear Myra in the training room this late at night. She was leaning against one of the metal pylons , watching him with a smile, her long black hair wet and loose around her shoulders. He drank in the sight of her in her black short and her black tank top. The clothes were standard Dauntless, but there was nothing standard in how she looked in them. His gaze lingered, realizing she had just come from the showers. She coughed lightly, drawing his gaze to her face, and saw she was smirking at him. "Why have you been beating the shit out of this bag for like an hour?" Eric didn't know how to respond without giving himself away, so he just said, "I needed to work out. Getting lazy." Myra laughed harshly, "Right! Ok!" as her gaze traveled pointedly over his bare chest, lingering on his stomach and then back up to his face. She moved closer, close enough for him to smell the shampoo in her hair, to know she needed to step back or he was going to have an issue. "Myra…" he said warningly. She smiled up at him, brushing her hair back from her face, "I just wanted to say goodnight. And that you should probably give it a rest, you don't want to hurt yourself." He looked down at her, suspicious. He was surprised when she stepped back and turned, walking away. "Myra! Wait" he was following her, god knows why, he knew better, but his body just seemed to do what it willed. He stood staring down at her for a moment, then, "Good luck tomorrow." Myra smiled at him, and he felt it in his gut. He reached out and twined his fingers through her wet hair, and without even thinking, leaned in to smell her hair. He whispered in her ear, "You are driving me crazy….please, for the love of god, go to bed." Myra pulled back and turned her head so that their lips were mere centimeters from touching, her warm, minty breath brushing across his lips. She whispered, "You don't always have to do what's right. We're Dauntless. Some rules are meant to be broken Eric." At this, she brushed her lips across his in the barest of kisses, and then retreated, walking out the door and back to the initiates' living space. Eric stood frozen, her words paralyzing him. He was by no means a "good boy" like Four, but he at least respected the rules for leaders. But he knew if he made this decision, he wasn't going to just use her. He wanted to know her, to know why an Amity girl like her wanted to be Dauntless, how she understood his brokenness. He decided, after tomorrow, he would talk to her, and see if she would open up to him, to see if they could be anything other than just initiate and instructor. If he was going to break the rules, he planned on making sure she thought he was actually worth it before they both went down in flames.

**The next day**

Myra stood with the other initiates in the Pit waiting for their newest rankings. These rankings would determine if they got to go visit with their families, they had found out last night at training. She was anxious to see the rankings, she thought she would be in the top 6, but her knife throwing had been pretty shitty since they had started and hadn't really improved. To her surprise, Kailey was a pro at it. Kailey had improved in all areas with some extra coaching from Myra, Serena and Caleb who were now a tight knit group, who were currently standing together, chatting about what they thought their parents would make for dinner if they came to visit. After a few more minutes the buzz in the room quieted when Eric and Four walked out and stood on opposite sides of the ranking board. Eric silently raised a hand to the board and everyone's eyes were fixed on it as their rankings appeared.

Shawn

Dana

Serena

Caleb

Myra

Mike

Luke

Kailey

Christina

Brad

Heather

Matt

There were small cheers from some, and others let out groans of disappointment. Myra turned to Kailey, who she had known wouldn't be in the top 6, but was surprised to see a huge smile on the other girl's face. When she was given a tight hug she laughed, "Hey! What's that about?" Kailey gave her a sheepish grin when she pulled away, "Sorry, I'm just so happy to have moved up! And I couldn't have done it without you or Serena and Caleb!" Myra smiled at her friend, "Girl, you know we will always help you. At least until you start to beat us and then all bets are off!" Kailey laughed joyfully, "Yea right! That's never going to happen! But I appreciate the sentiment." The girls shared a smile and wrapped an arm around each other's waist as they waited for their leaders to break their group up. Myra was happy that Kailey was happy. Her friendship meant a lot to her. She had seen the other initiates keep to themselves and act more like enemies than their little foursome did. She didn't think that served anyone, but if that's how they thought they would get ahead, then by all means, act like assholes to everyone. Four spoke up, quieting the room, "All right, top 6 with me, bottom with Eric." Myra gave Kailey's waist a squeeze, "Seeya later girl!" and jogged over to join the group that had quickly formed around Four.

Four looked them over and spoke, "Ok, you guys get the reward of visiting your families. This may not be the case next month so don't get used to it and make sure that your families know that it can change." He looked them over and then gave them a brief nod. "Let's go." Four marched their group out of the Pit and led them out to the train tracks where they jumped onto the train. Myra sat with Caleb and Serena by the door, watching the countryside pass by as they moved closer to the city. Myra felt her excitement grow with each passing moment until they came into the city center, throwing themselves off the train once more. They once more gathered around Four, "You have until 9pm with your families, then we meet back here and return to Dauntless. Enjoy." He turned and walked away, effectively dismissing them.

Myra and Caleb walked together toward the Amity housing together, talking about their childhoods, realizing that they had played together when they were much younger and hadn't remembered it until now. Myra revealed that her father had been Dauntless until he met her mother on guard duty, and chose Amity to be with her. Caleb's parents were both Amity and had been friends with her parents from what he could remember. They parted ways and headed to their homes with a brief hug, Myra jogging to her house. She rapped on the front door and then burst in. Her mother was at the kitchen counter preparing dinner and her father was not in sight. "MOM!" Myra shouted gleefully. Her mother spun, dropping her knife on the counter, surprise on her face! "Myra?" her mother whispered, before starting to cry. "Oh mom, no!" She said, moving quickly to hug her mother tightly. She was still holding onto her mother when her father entered the room, "Myra! Oh, I knew you would do well enough to earn a visit!" he said as he rushed over and hugged her and her mother. "Uhhh, sorry mom and dad, but I'm kinda getting squished!" Laughter filled the room as they all pulled away, but stayed close to each other.

"I was just making dinner, why don't you help me chop and you can tell us all about your training?" her mother suggested. "Sure!" Myra assented. She and her mother stood side by side, chopping carrots and peeling potatoes. Myra talked of her training and how hard it was, how unsure she was sometimes. Occasionally her father would interject with a comment on how he thought she was probably doing, and how she could improve. When she mentioned her trainers Eric and Four, he laughed, "I remember Eric when he was a kid, what a character!" Myra tried to control her expression as she asked, "Oh yea? Tell me about him." Her father gave her a shrewd look, and continued, "Well, he was a small kid, with these big blue eyes that would follow you around, but would hide in the sneakiest of places so you wouldn't notice that he wasn't supposed to be there. His dad was on Wall guard duty and his mom was, well, she was unstable." Her father's expression changed. He looked saddened and older somehow, "She was pretty young when she had Eric. She was actually still going through training, it was a big scandal, but she was allowed to stay, so long as she passed the final fear landscape. She did, but whatever she saw in there changed her. From then on she was scared all the time for Eric. Over the years she got worse, and hardly left their quarters for fear of the outside. The year he turned six, she started coming out more. Interacting. We thought she was getting better. Then abruptly one day Eric came to me and said his mommy hadn't come home." At this her father went silent for a long moment. He sighed deeply, rubbed a hand across his face, then continued, "We found her at the bottom of the chasm. She had apparently thrown herself down there. We thought we had kept Eric away, but I looked up and saw him hiding in one of the nooks, and he saw the whole thing. Her body being lifted up. God, it was awful." Myra had stopped chopping and was held riveted by the story. She cleared her throat, trying to disguise the fact that she had been dangerously close to tears, "That explains a lot." Her father nodded. "He became a lot more withdrawn after that. With his father on wall duty, another family took him in. He hardly ever smiled, and soon after started practicing the skills for training. He flew through training. He must be a good instructor." Her father looked at her, and Myra just nodded. She certainly couldn't reveal her relationship or lack thereof with Eric to her father. Not until she figured it out more.

The hours with her family seemed to fly by. They talked about her friends within Amity and how their lives had stayed the same and changed. Her parents reassured her that they were happy and ok with her choice to switch to Dauntless. As darkness fell and the clock moved closer to 9, they began to walk to the city center. Her mother had her arm wrapped around Myra's waist, "I want you to know that I get why you switched. You've never fit here. Even when you were a little kid, I could tell you were just like your father. You had the wildness and bravery of a Dauntless. I knew someday you would leave. I just hope that the decision has made you happy?" She searched Myra's face, waiting for an answer. Myra nodded, "I am mom, it's so hard, but it's where I belong." Her mom nodded and smiled, "Ok baby. Ok." As they reached the center, they could see the others and their families. Myra turned and gave her mother a tight hug, "Love you mom. I hope I'll see you next month. I'll try really hard." "Just do your best baby. I love you!" Her mom pulled away and wiped away tears. Her father swept her up into a hug and held her for a long moment, whispering, "I think you like Eric. If you do, be careful. He's not had a lot of good. But he is a good man. Be strong my brave girl. I love you." He kissed her cheek and moved to stand with her mom.

Myra took in the sight of her parents one last time and then turned and jogged back to the group, her mind on fire with the story her father had told. No wonder Eric was so cut off and cold to everyone. He was essentially an orphan. Her heart broke for him, but she wasn't sure how to help him. She wasn't sure if he would take well to her knowing his past. Knowing this information changed everything for her; if she could get him to open up about it, maybe he could finally heal, and become a happier man. After jumping on the train, Myra sat with Serena and Caleb, smiling and laughing, but her mind running wild with possibilities. By the time they made it back to the Dauntless compound, she had a plan. Eric was going to be a changed man when she was through with him.

**So hope you guys liked it, next chapter will hopefully come soon! My sis and I are doing a ton of stuff so I'm pretty busy, but I'll work it out! Off to wine tasting :) Maybe I'll do as Hemingway said "Write drunk edit sober" ;) Seeya soon! **


	7. Wild Hearts Chapter 7

**Hey all, I'm back from Texas! Awesome time, got see my sister get engaged! So yea, I hope you all like this chapter, sorry it's been a little slow. Hopefully now that I'm back it'll be better.  
**

Myra stood on the small back porch of Eric's broken down cabin and watched as the sun set. It had been a week since she had gotten to see her parents, and training had resumed immediately upon their return. She hadn't had much time to put her plan in to action until now. She had used some of her credits at the store to buy a dress and a present for Eric. She ran a hand over her dress nervously, it was tighter than she was used to, and it pushed up her breasts in a way that was both pleasing to her, but also really really different for her. She knew Eric liked to come here at the end of the week and had prepared herself for his arrival. She heard the front door squeak open, his footsteps heavy on the floor, and then, "Myra? What are you doing here?" She stood still, not turning to face him, letting him come to her. She heard his footsteps, and then felt his warm breath on her neck. "You aren't supposed to be out here. You could get caught." Myra laughed softly, "I think you already caught me Eric. It's too late." She turned and looked up into his face, watching his reaction as he took in her dress. She smiled softly, reaching up to cup his face with her hands, "It's far too late Eric. We're both caught." She felt him stiffen in her hands and sighed when he pulled away.

She watched him as he moved further out onto the porch, away from her, tension in his back. "Eric, I know you care for me. You've been helping me, pushing me to be better, and all I want is to get to know you a little." She walked towards him, placing her hands on his shoulders, turning him towards her. She looked up at him again, touching his cheek softly, "Just talk to me Eric. Tell me your favorite food. Your favorite color. Anything." Eric sighed, unsure, and then moved to sit down on the porch, leaning against one of the poles, stretching his legs out in front of him. He looked up to her and motioned for her to come sit with him.

Myra moved to sit next to him, tucking one leg under her other thigh, draping her dress over her legs to better situate herself. She sat, waiting for him to speak. "Ok, so….I guess my favorite color is the dark red the sky turns when the sun is setting. It's got so many layers of red to it." He smiled, looking up to the setting sun, seeing that the sky was a different shade of red, with oranges and purples, but still beautiful. Myra was stunned by the softness in his face, she had never seen him looking so gentle. He turned to look back at her, smiling sheepishly, "Ok, so tell me something about you." Myra laughed softly and nodded, "Ok, so I always felt like I didn't belong in Amity. I always dreamed of being free. I kept shirking my duties to go climb trees, rocks, go for runs, anything to get away." She sighed, pushing her hair back from her face as she glanced up at Eric, "My dad told me right before I chose that he was Dauntless and chose to be in Amity for my mom. Really explains a lot."

Eric smiled at her, reaching out to wrap a curl of her hair around his finger. "You're certainly kind, but you are definitely a bad ass. I can definitely understand how you came to be who you are." Myra laughed and leaned into him, laying her head on his shoulder. She was pleasantly surprised when he didn't shy away, and instead wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "So who taught you how to draw?" she asked lightly. Eric sighed, "My mom. She wasn't well, and so we spent a lot of time in our quarters doing light activities. She loved art." He went silent, staring up at the slowly darkening sky. Myra gently placed her hand on his knee and squeezed, "Hey, I have something for you. I'll be right back." She stood and went into the cabin for a moment, returning quickly with a black backpack. She handed it to Eric, sitting back down near him.

He held it for a moment, hesitant. Pulling the zipper, he opened it and pulled out a new sketch pad, colored pencils and charcoal pencils. Holding them in his hands, he simply sat, stunned. "Do-do you like them?" Myra asked, hesitant, worried she had overstepped. Eric turned towards her, and broke into a huge smile, "I love it. Would you mind if I draw you?" Myra laughed with happiness, "No of course not! How should I sit?" Eric directed her to sit against the pole, one knee up, one hand on the knee, the other hand resting in her lap, her long hair spilling over one shoulder. He had played with her hair, his touch sending thrills through her.

They sat apart, but Myra felt like there were only mere inches between them, the way Eric's eyes would roam over her as he sketched. He talked occasionally, telling her about his favorite books and foods. They spoke softly, laughing, not wanting to break the spell. Finally, when the darkness had grown too deep for Eric to draw by, he sighed, stopping. "Can I see?" asked Myra. He smiled at her, "It's not done, once it is then you can." Sighing dramatically, she laughed, "Ooookay. Here come help me up." Holding out her hand, she waited until Eric came over and tugged, pulling her up, and used the momentum to lean into it, letting herself fall into his arms. His arms automatically went to her waist, steadying her, and her hands went to his broad shoulders. Myra reached one hand up to touch his lip ring and then his eyebrow ring, "I was so intimidated by these. Now I hardly see them." Eric pulled her tighter to him, "I couldn't believe when I saw you throw yourself off the building that you were real. I wanted to talk to you so badly, but I had to behave myself." Smirking, Myra tilted her head closer, her lips mere inches from Eric's, "Why don't you try misbehaving? I used to do it all the time, and it's so much more amusing."

Eric wrapped a hand into her hair and pulled her into him, kissing her. She tasted of mint and slightly of chocolate. He ran his hands over her arms, feeling her silky skin shiver under his touch, reveling in her gasp of pleasure when he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her tighter to him. Her gasp became a moan when he cupped one breast, brushing his thumb across it, feeling her nipple tighten under his hand. He bent his head to place kisses on her neck, gently nipping at her collarbone. Her breath was coming in small gasps, and her hands were clutched to his waist, holding him close. Eric moved back to her mouth, kissing her deeply, while pushing her against the outside wall of the cabin. Myra instinctively spread her legs, capturing him between hers, groaning when she felt his hardness press into her. She pressed herself harder into him, kissing him passionately. Eric broke away, gasping. He placed both hands on either side of her head and lowered his forehead to hers, "God damn Myra….FUCK. We need to stop now."

Myra made a noise of protest and tried to grab his face to bring it down for another kiss, but he broke away, shaking his head. "NO, Myra! I-not like this. I want you, but not here. We need to spend more time together, and you need to get through training." He looked into Myra's face and saw she was hurt, and immediately felt distraught. "Hey, hey. I want to be with you. Do you hear me? We just need to be careful. You're in the top, and people know I've been helping you. So we have to be cautious. Friendly is ok in public, but no more." She nodded, but he could still see tears in her eyes. Sighing, he captured her in a tight hug, 'Come on, you're a bad ass, you can handle this." She laughed, her breath catching, nodding into his chest. He pulled away and brushed her hair back, "Ok, so you need to get back first and then I'll follow. If they see us out together, they'll suspect."

She nodded and walked into the cabin, heading for the other door. Before she walked out he called out to her, "Hey, I love the art supplies. Really. And thank you for letting me draw you….You make me happy." He smiled at her, letting his emotions show. She stared at him, and then ran back for a swift, tight hug, and a brief kiss before whispering, "You deserve to be happy Eric" and running out the door. He stood, surrounded by her scent, the taste of her still on his lips, and knew he was in trouble. He just had to get her through training so he could be with her. Then he could really be happy.

**Thanks for reading guys! Please review! Much love 3 **


	8. Wild Hearts Chapter 8

**Hey guys, I'm sorry this one took so long, life has been hectic since getting back from Texas! I really hope you like it, though forewarning, it is going to be tough. :/**

After another two months at Dauntless, Myra and Eric had settled into a comfortable routine and facade. During the day she and the other trainees would go through running, fighting, gun and knife training. In the evening they had incorporated lessons on the history of Dauntless, the positions within Dauntless, and shadowing a new position with senior members of Dauntless for a week at a time. The trainees were learning about their new home and what sort of future they could have. Once a week Myra and Eric would meet at the cabin and relax together, talking, laughing and most times, Myra watching Eric draw. They were polite to each other in public at Dauntless, but continued to keep their distance, making sure not to linger too long near each other. They had one more week until they would receive new rankings which would send them to their parents or the Wall.

Myra was in the gym, late in the evening with Kailey, both encouraging each other to push harder. After an hour of lifting and sprints, the girls lay on the floor, exhausted and covered in sweat. "So what's up with you and Caleb, Kae?" Myra asked looking over at her friend with a mischievous smile. Kailey laughed, covering her face for a moment before looking at her, "Well, he started encouraging me to spar with him and work out together so I could get used to fighting a stronger opponent. We started talking more and it just led to us….well, being together." She laughed again, and then groaned, placing her hand on her abdomen, "God Myra, you killed my abs with that workout. You are such a beast!" Myra laughed along with her friend, both of them groaning at their sore muscles, and then breaking into more riotous laughter at each other's faces. They eventually quieted, until Myra spoke, "So Four said we were learning something new tomorrow, what do you think it's going to be?" Kailey shrugged, "I don't know. Hopefully it's something interesting. I'm getting a little bored of all the fighting." Myra smirked, "Yea, Eric said it should be interesting." Kailey looked at her for a long moment and then grinned, "I _knew it!_ You are getting secret info from Eric about training aren't you?" Myra's heart had been racing, and at Kailey's words she relaxed. "No, he was just helping me with my knife throwing and I asked if we were learning anything new soon, and he said yea, it's going to be pretty interesting." Kailey looked at her with interest, "You sure it's just that, because I swear I've seen him looking at you like you're a piece of chocolate cake." Myra smiled at her, "Naw Kae, it's nothing like that. He's just being a guy." Kailey raised a brow at her and then shrugged, "Oookay."

Myra groaned, standing and offered her hand to her friend. Kailey stood and brushed herself off, "I'm gonna go hang out with Caleb, what are you getting up to tonight?" Myra shrugged, "I don't know yet. I think I'll probably just shower and go grab a snack. Maybe go hang on the roof." Kailey shook her head, "Girl you are going to get in trouble for going out there someday." "I doubt it, there are always other Dauntless up there. Besides, rules are made to be broken." Kailey laughed and punched her friend in the arm lightly, "All right crazy. Well, be good. See you in the morning!" Myra smiled at her friend as she skipped out of the room on her way to see Caleb. Myra sighed, she wanted to spend some time with Eric, but they had just been together at the cabin two days ago.

As if her thoughts had summoned him, Eric came sauntering into the room. As always when she saw him, her heart skipped a beat and her stomach tightened. He smirked at her, his eyes flickering over her body, taking in her tight black workout pants, her loose tshirt, and now messy bun. He walked up to her, "All done for the evening trainee?" She nodded at him and leaned down to pick up her water bottle, "Yea, going to shower and grab a snack. Maybe head out to the roof if that's ok?" He nodded at her, moving to grab a set of weights, brushing past her. Myra sighed softly as his bare arm brushed hers. She wanted nothing more than to reach out, grab him, and kiss him. But there were cameras in the gym, and it was most definitely not a good idea. She watched him for a moment as he lifted weights, enjoying the sight of his muscles flexing. He looked up at her, flicking an eyebrow up, smirking at her. She grinned back and spun around, walking towards the exit. She paused for a moment, leaned down slowly and set her water bottle on the floor before standing and stripping off her tshirt. She bent back down and picked up her water bottle, sauntering out of the room, feeling Eric's gaze burning into her the whole time.

After showering and dressing in shorts and a tshirt, Myra made her way to the roof after a quick pit stop in the kitchen. She bit into an apple, relishing the sweet taste. She settled onto the rooftop of the gym building, looking down into the gym through the glass roof. She ate her apple, alternating between it and a granola bar. The warm summer breeze brushed across her bare skin and through her wet hair, making her shiver. She quickly plaited it into a braid and laid it over her shoulder. After the last few weeks she had begun to wonder where she would end up in Dauntless. She was really hoping to end up as a Trainer like Eric, but knew she would have to go through another layer of training to do so. She had asked Eric and Four about it, and knew that after "graduating" from training, they would receive their assignments. They would then go through the proper training for their jobs, and according to both men, the training to become a Trainer was intensive.

She watched Eric through the glass, smiling at his intensity as he worked out. There were few times that he wasn't intense, and those were usually with her. Her thoughts skipped back to two nights ago when she had been lying on the cot at the cabin, with Eric behind her, curled around her. They had been out late, watching a meteor shower together when she heard him fall asleep. Laughing softly, she turned towards him slowly, snuggling in close to his chest, watching as he breathed evenly. She ran a finger along his cheekbone, then across his tattoos on his neck. She was falling for this large, tough, man, and she was fairly certain he felt the same way. She leaned her face up and kissed his mouth softly, it was a whisper of a kiss, but she felt his arm tighten around her waist, and before she could count to 3, he was kissing her back. After a moment he pulled back rested his forehead against hers. They stayed that way, limbs entwined, watching the stars in peaceful silence until she fell asleep for a time and was awoken by Eric telling her they needed to get back.

Looking up to the dark skies, Myra wondered for a moment if her father was up on their roof watching the stars too. She missed him and her mother. Sighing, she climbed down from the roof and headed to bed, groaning as she pulled the covers tight around her. Tomorrow was going to be a long day of new skills, and she had been up too late. She drifted off to sleep, dreams of shooting stars and soft kisses drifting through her sleep.

**Later**

Myra was jolted out of sleep by the loud shrilling of a siren. Looking around the dorm room wildly, she looked to Kailey and asked groggily, "What's going on?" The other girl was up and heading to the door, but turned back to speak to Myra, "I'm not sure, hold on." She reached the door just as it was thrown open by Four. He strode into the room and looked around before speaking, "This is not a drill. There is a fire in the fields close to the city. All Dauntless are going out to dig fire breaks and fight the fire. If it gets into the city we are in serious trouble. Head down to the Pit for fire gear and get ready to move." He strode out of the room without any further words. Myra and Kailey exchanged a worried glance before changing into shorts, tank tops, and boots. All of the trainees headed to the Pit where they were given fire proof long sleeve shirts and long pants. It seemed to Myra that all of Dauntless was in the Pit gearing up; it was so crowded she couldn't even see Eric. They all soon moved out to the train, packing the entire train full before it moved out.

Kailey and Myra sat close together, holding hands, not speaking. The entire train car was silent, except for one or two leaders speaking quietly. They soon arrived at the sight of the fire, and all of the Dauntless jumped off, running to the aid of the Amity who had been out harvesting. Myra looked, but didn't see her parents. She and the other trainees were assigned with a group of forty other Dauntless to dig fire breaks. The other Dauntless ran off to pump water from the wells and haul it to douse the flames. They dug for what felt like hours, until they heard a shout, and saw a figure running up to the fire break. Myra wiped her sweaty face off, and blinked the sweat out of her eyes. The figure became clearer through the smoke, it was Four. Myra groaned, she was hoping it was Eric. Four shouted to the group, "We need you in the city! The fire jumped the breaks! The Amity are trying to fight it and keep it away from their homes. We need to hurry!" The group dropped their shovels and ran to the train, jumping on as it pulled out. Myra paced the train car trying not to freak out as they moved closer to the city.

The train pulled near the Amity housing, and the Dauntless jumped off, running towards the flames. Myra looked in horror at the houses burning, and heard people screaming. She took off running towards the houses and started clearing them, getting people out, making sure the children ran toward the city center, and the able bodied parents stayed to help fight the flames. She was running towards a block of houses that contained some on fire when she saw Eric, carrying a child out of a house, and then her parents, helping neighbors. Her heart continued to race, but her soul rejoiced. She ran to her mother and father, hugging them briefly, before moving to another home to clear it. She was standing in the street coughing when she heard a high pitched screaming from a house up the street that was already on fire. "Oh god!" She whispered, before running off down the street towards the house.

She burst through the front door, calling out for the child, and heard the screams intensify. She coughed intensely, moving towards the back of the house. "Hello?!" she screamed, moving through the rooms until she heard a small voice call back, "Help!" She spun around, until she spotted a closet, and ran to it, throwing it open, and spotted a small boy hunkered down in the corner. "Hi buddy, my name is Myra. What's yours?" He sat crying, until she knelt down and placed a hand on his arm, "Hey bud, it's ok. I'm going to get you out of here. Ok?" He looked up at her and nodded, wiping off his face, "I'm Thomas." She smiled at him, and then looked away, coughing. She leaned down and picked him up, "Alright, wrap your legs around my waist and hold on tight!" Thomas did so, and Myra ran through the house, glancing up at the ceiling, hearing the roof groaning. They made it out of the house seconds before the roof collapsed. Myra collapsed to the ground with Thomas, holding him close. She looked up when she heard someone shouting his name, and was happy to see his mother running towards them. Thomas broke out of her arms to run into his mothers.

Myra lifted herself off the ground and headed towards the other end of the street where there was a group of Dauntless gathered. She joined the group and was pleased to see Eric there. She smiled at him tiredly, and was even more pleased when she got a small smile back. He looked around the group and smiled at the group, "Well guys, we've prevented the fire from moving further into the city. We now have to get these fires out. Get some water and a bite of food and then get back to it." They all nodded and then moved towards the small table that the other factions had set up for them. Myra chugged a bottle of water in between bites of a granola power bar. She moved away from the table and stood watching the house she had rescued Thomas from burn to the ground.

One of the other members of the group called out to her and she turned back to the group, heading out with them, when she heard Eric calling her name. She turned and saw him running towards her. His face had panic all over it, and her heart clenched. He came to a stop in front of her, and doubled over, coughing. She laid a hand on his shoulder, "Hey, hey. Catch your breath. Here, here's some water." Eric nodded his thanks and gulped some water before speaking, "Myra….Your parents….they were in a house and a roof collapsed on them. We tried to get in there, but the fire is too hot. I-I'm sorry." Myra stood in shock, her insides icing, hardening. She felt the world's edges collapsing around her, and soon, she found herself sitting on the ground. She heard Eric's voice calling her name, but she felt nothing when he picked her up and carried her away towards the train. She closed her eyes and heard the distant rumble of thunder. The heat of summer was breaking; she could feel rain drops on her face. The sky wept the tears that Myra didn't have.

**I LOVE YOU GUYS! hugs! I promise the next one won't take so long! :) hang in there! Also I'm thinking of writing a Person of Interest based story b/c I just started watching it and OMG love it already! I can't wait for season 4! Stay tuned dolls! **


	9. Wild Hearts Chapter 9

It had been two days since the fire. Two days of rain. Two days in which Myra hadn't moved from the bed in the infirmary. Two days of her not eating. Eric was watching her from the distance, keeping tabs on her, discussing her condition with the doctors, worrying. She was unresponsive to the doctors, to her friends, even to him. His heart was breaking, and he didn't know how to help her. She was withdrawing from the world, and there was nothing he could think of to help her. The other trainees had been given two days to recover from the light burns and smoke inhalation they had suffered, but tomorrow they would have to go back to training. Eric sighed deeply, and left the infirmary, heading back to his quarters. He settled into his couch with his drawing pad from Myra and began to draw. Perversely, the only thing he seemed to want to draw was the fire. He filled page after page with picture of fire. Finally, he dropped his pencils, and sat looking out the windows at the steady rain. It was perverse. When they had needed it the most, there had been clear cloudless skies for a month, drying everything out and creating a tinderbox. Eric wished there was some way he could help Myra, but he recalled his own grief at his mother's death, and knew that it would take her all the time she needed. The other leaders of Dauntless were already making noise; that if she didn't get up tomorrow and get back to training, she would be docked points. He had argued that it was unreasonable to expect someone who had just lost everything to be ready to jump back in; they had told him that as the police, firefighters, and general peacekeepers, that was their job, and if Myra couldn't handle it, she was out.

Even now, thinking of the discussion angered Eric. He stood in a swift movement and paced his quarters. There had to be something he could do. He looked to the wall clock, it was close to midnight. He grabbed his jacket and headed out to the infirmary. He nodded to the nurse on duty, and shut the ward door behind him. Myra was in a room by herself at the end of the hall, and when he entered the room he could see the vase of wildflowers and the note on the table by her bed that had been left by Caleb, Serena and Kailey.

He saw that Myra was awake, but staring up at the ceiling. He sat down in the chair beside her bed. "Myra" he called her name softly, hoping she would turn and look at him, and smile that irresistible smile, but she remained immobile. Sighing, he made a decision, and moved to shut the blinds of the room. He sat down on the bed beside Myra, and pulled her into his chest, wrapping his arm around her waist. He held her, feeling their hearts beating, not in time, but in a rhythm, like a song. He breathed in the scent of her hair, clean, no trace of smoke. Looking down at her face, he saw no emotions or tears there.

He reached a hand up to touch her cheek, brushing it softly. "I don't think I ever told you the story of how my mom died. She had been getting better for awhile, starting to go outside of our quarters, talking to people a little bit more, just getting better. About two days before she died, my dad came home from the Wall and stayed with us for his monthly furlough. He was teaching me how to throw knives, and I was upset because I wasn't doing well. My mom came in and told us that dinner was ready. We had a nice, quiet dinner, my parents talked, I listened. When I was in bed, I heard my mom telling my dad that she wanted a divorce. She didn't want to be tied to a man who wasn't around, especially not one who was screwing around on her. I heard him laugh at her, and he told her that even if he gave her a divorce, it wouldn't matter because no one would ever want her. Over the next two days they argued more and more, and the night before they found my mom, I saw my father slap my mother." Eric stopped for a moment, realizing that at some point while he had been talking, Myra had moved and taken his hand in hers. He breathed a sigh of relief and continued talking, "So, after a day of not seeing my mom, I went to one of the leaders, and told them I hadn't seen my mom. My dad said he hadn't seen her when I asked where she was. I followed the men around who formed the search party. I was there, in the rafters, watching when they pulled her body out of the chasm." Eric paused again, taking a deep breath, and smiled a shaky smile at Myra when she squeezed his hand, "I have no proof, but I believe my father killed my mother."

Eric fell silent. He lay back and rested his head against the pillow, waiting to see if Myra would react, or speak. Eventually, she moved, turning towards him, and snuggled against his side, laying her head on his chest. "I believe you" she whispered, her voice hoarse from disuse. Eric rubbed a hand against her back, "Thank you" he whispered back. They lay that way for a long time, neither speaking. Finally, Eric spoke again, "If you don't come to training tomorrow, leadership wants to cut you. You have to at least try. I know it's impossible and unfair, but you have to." Myra looked up to him with dry eyes, "It's what it is. I'll be there, for you. So long as you're here for me tonight." He nodded and kissed her forehead, brushing back her hair. They settled back against the pillow and spoke no more for the evening. They mourned as Dauntless; together, silently, and bravely. The celebration of the lives lost would come when the pain of the loss was not so keen. For now they had each other to soothe the sting of their sadness.

**Heyyyy guys, sorry this one took a bit longer, I was just figuring out where I wanted it to go. Also I am writing another story, Saving Grace, at the same time. So things may move a little slower. Please review, and also check out Saving Grace if you happen to be a Person of Interest fan! :D Thanks as always for reading! **


	10. Wild Hearts Chapter 10

The trainees were standing out in a field with a line of trees on three sides and the Dauntless compound behind them. They were chattering among themselves, but fell silent when they saw Four, Eric, and Myra walking towards them. The trainees all wore expressions of surprise at seeing Myra; most had expected her to wash out. She walked over to her tiny threesome of friends and stood silently. Serena and Kailey both gave her quick hugs and Caleb quickly followed suit.

"Pay attention trainees!" Eric shouted at them. He pointed to the tree line where Four was setting up what looked like dummies with targets on their chests, "You will be aiming for these, with these" he walked over to the bed of the truck that was parked in the field with them and lowered the tailgate. Inside were bows; crossbows, recurve, and longbow. He smirked at them, "Choose whichever you think will work best for your body strength and move to align yourself with a target." The trainees moved as a swarm, pushing and shoving. Myra and her friends were waiting, patiently at the back of the group, until Myra sighed and walked around the group, climbed up the side of the truck and into the bed of the truck, and grabbed one of each bow and a quiver of arrows for each. She ignored the dirty looks and curses she got, simply leaning over the side to hand off the bows and quivers to her friends before turning back and grabbing a crossbow for herself. She jumped over the side of the truck and moved to stand in line with one of the targets, busying herself with inspecting the bow. She had never held one before and she wanted to be familiar with it.

Four came up to her, "Nice work cutting through the mess. Let's get started on using it." For the next ten minutes he instructed her and the others on how to properly use the bows they had selected. The Dauntless used them not just for hunting but on the Wall, and occasionally in the police. Soon they were firing arrows at their targets, most of the trainees failing to hit the target or if they did, hit the inner ring.

Eric scowled as he paced, "You have to be better than this. Those of you who end up on the Wall will be relying on this weapon, and even for those of you who don't, we still use it to hunt. It is essential." When one trainee fired their crossbow improperly while laughing at something and nearly shot another trainee, he stalked up behind the boy and grabbed his arm, whipping him around, bringing him nose to nose. "You find something funny? Because you almost shot someone. If you are going to shoot someone, make sure you're paying attention when you do it. Know that you're going to kill someone." He stared into the boys eyes for a long moment until the boy nodded shakily, whispering, "I-I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

Shoving the boy away he made a noise of disgust, "You don't pay attention Mike, and it's going to either kill you or someone else. You're lucky to have made it this far." Eric looked around at the trainees who were watching them, "This evening you will be fighting each other. Randomized and completely unknown to all of us until it happens. This training right now and those scores will determine who visits mommy and daddy and who stays." He gave them all another appraising look and walked away.

Myra held her crossbow tight, watching him go for a moment before turning back to the target. She lined up her sights, took a deep breath and fired. The arrow flew straight and true into the red circle at the center of the target. Her friends gave a small cheer, others just stared. Four came over, "Do it again." Myra said nothing, simply reloading the crossbow, lined up her sights, breath, and fire. Bullseye. "Again" Myra repeated the process twice more before Four had her switch to the recurve, and then the longbow. After everyone had spent time with each bow, they were sent back to the compound for lunch and an hour of free time before class, and then fights in the evening.

Myra walked behind the large group of trainees and Four, her mind somehow both empty and full at the same time. Their incessant chatter was driving her a little mad, and so she took off at a jog, skirting around the group, and moving at a steady pace back to the compound. She made her way inside where she grabbed a tray of food and headed back outside, up to the roof. She sat in the quiet solitude the roof provided, watching more rain clouds roll in. She knew Eric was worried about her, but she couldn't find the emotions to really care. She was still so cold and frozen inside. Now she was just focused on getting through training each day, making sure she became the best.

Myra stood and went back downstairs; she still had thirty minutes before class. She went to the tattoo parlor and looked around, trying to decide what she wanted. Her eyes alighted on a tattoo with latin words in scrawling scroll text with a sticky note of a translation underneath. "Cum abiit, non sum oblitus- Although gone, not forgotten." She grabbed it and walked over to the counter, "Hey Dave, I don't have time to do this now, can I come back after class and training?" He looked at what she had picked and nodded. "Thanks" she said, before running out the door, she was going to be late for police tactics class.

An hour later she was out of class, her mind and notebook full. She walked with Kailey, listening as the girl chattered on about the class, nodding occasionally. When they entered the sparring gym they dropped their bookbags near the wall. The trainees fanned out, standing in front of Eric and Four. Eric raised a hand toward the leaderboard and they watched as the first set of names popped up. Christina and Caleb were first. People cheered for their friends, and Myra stood silent, watching as Caleb walked into the ring. Caleb may have been tall and strong, but Christina was fast and light on her feet. "Anything goes, the fight ends when someone wins." Eric called out. Four shot him a look, "Or when one of you can't go anymore and you tap out." Eric nodded his head in a sarcastic acquiescence, "Begin!"

Christina moved first, lighting fast to punch Caleb right in the solar plexus, and then a hard right hook to the face, then quickly dancing back out of the way when Caleb tried to hook his leg around hers and bring her down. They circled, each looking for a way in. Christina moved again, but not fast enough to avoid a killer combo jab to the head and uppercut to the gut. She grunted and got back. The fight went on for awhile; Myra was surprised at how evenly matched they were, until Caleb was taken by surprise by Christina's punch feint, then kick to the knee, then a cross to the head. Caleb went down hard, struggling to rise, and then tapped the canvas. Eric made a noise at him and then nodded at Christina.

They moved through four more fights, until finally, Myra and Shawn's name light up the board. She sighed inwardly, knowing he was at the number 1 spot for a reason. She was probably going to get her ass kicked. She moved into the ring and stood silently staring at Shawn who was looking at her with something akin to pity on his face. Whether it was for her parents, or because he thought he was going to beat her, Myra felt something for the first time in days…anger. She was going to kick his ass, and do it so well. For the first time in days, she smiled, but it was cold and angry.

They began to circle each other, moving with a deliberate slowness, testing each other's paces. Myra watched his center, and saw just before he moved when he tensed to strike. She pulled back, then grabbed Shawn's arm, using his momentum and the fact that he had overextended his reach to throw him over her hip as Cara had shown her in training. She quickly twisted his arm behind his head, jerking the shoulder nearly out of the socket. Shawn yelped, pounding on the canvas, tapping out. She released him quickly and walked away. She heard a noise behind her and had no time to prepare for the vicious kick she received to the ribs from Shawn. She stumbled hard to the side, but recovered, whirling to face him, keeping her arms up in a guard. "Bitch" he spat at her. She said nothing, simply waiting for him to move. He kicked out again, this time at her knee, but Myra was able to use what Cara had taught her once again by squatting low, grabbing his foot, and torquing his leg. Shawn was thrown off balance as he wrenched himself free, giving her time to rush him, throwing a hook to the head and a fierce jab to the kidneys. He recovered quickly and threw his own punch, connecting with her left eye. Her world went black.

Myra woke up in the infirmary, with Kailey sitting by her bed, studying. "Hey-y" she croaked out. Kailey jumped up and handed her a glass of water, which she took gratefully, sipping slowly. "Hey girl, you've only been out for a little while. But Four and Eric are so pissed at Shawn. He tapped out and then attacked you. He's in isolation right now. The leaders are reviewing his scores and taking this into account to see what score he should get, or if he should get tossed." Myra nodded slowly, the movement making her head hurt, "Can I leave here?" Kailey looked at her funny, "Why? Got a hot date?" Myra made a face, "NO. I would just prefer to sleep in my own bed tonight." "Oooh…well yea then." Myra stood up from the bed and waited to see if she would pass out. When she didn't she looked to her friend, "I'm going to go get a tattoo, want to come?" Kailey gave her an appraising look, "I think you should shower and go to bed." "Thanks for the advice, but I'll do that after." Kailey sighed, "Well, I don't think you should be alone, so yea, I'll go."

Myra lay in the tattoo chair on her stomach; she was getting the latin writing on her left shoulder. Kailey still wouldn't get a tattoo, but she liked the ones Myra had gotten. After her tattoo was finished the girls headed upstairs for showers and dinner. Later, as Myra lay in bed, she looked up to the rough ceiling and thought about the past week. In the past week she had gone from being a Dauntless girl from Amity with two parents, to an orphan Dauntless girl. This was her home now. She had no other family. If she didn't pass the testing, she would be alone. No Eric, no Kailey, no Serena or Caleb, just her and the other Factionless, barely surviving. It would take all her strength to pass, and to stay in Dauntless. She would make her parents proud. She would be Dauntless like her father, but keep her kind Amity mother's heart. She would be...a wild heart. Free, brave, spirited and loving. The best of both factions. For the first time in days, she smiled a truly happy smile.

**Okay, so longer than normal note here. Those of you who read my stories and are members or guest know that if you comment, I'll post your comment no matter what you say, and I'll often respond with a "hey thanks for reading, you rock!". But I got a review that kind left a bitter taste in my mouth about this story, and I just want to say to guest reviewer Gabrielle, who only read to ch4, I am sorry that you felt that my character Myra is a "mary sue" however, after doing research on what that is, I disagree with your statement. She is definitely not me inserting myself into the story. Her name is Myra Valdez, she's hispanic, with caramel skin tone, and dark long hair. I, am white, fair skinned, and have short brown hair. So yea, actually nothing alike. I wish I was as badass as Myra. As for the statement that Eric is nothing like the book, well no shit sherlock. I said this takes place before the book, maybe he's different here for a reason. I write because I find inspiration in other fanfiction writers, books like divergent, the movies, and everyday life. So perhaps if you had continued reading, you might have been able to see what an awesome character Myra is now. Stories take time to develop. Right, so sorry this was long, but to everyone who reads, thank you so much. I love your reviews, even when they are critical. They help me improve. You all make my day with your enthusiasm for reading and I truly enjoy writing for you all. So much love 3-Stella**


	11. Wild Hearts Chapter 11

Over the next two days the trainees were drilled in the bows and quizzed in classes on police tactics and hunting techniques. At the close of the second day they were gathered once again in the Pit for the scores that would determine who would get to see their families and who would stay. The ratings flashed up on the scoreboard:

1. Serena

2. Dana

3. Shawn

4. Myra

5. Caleb

6. Kailey

7. Mike

8. Christina

9. Luke

10. Matt

11. Heather

12. Brad

There was a long moment of silence during which the group of people turned to stare at Myra. She remained stony faced. She turned to face Caleb and Serena and gave them smiles and hugs, "Enjoy your time with your families" she whispered to each of them. She turned and gave Kailey a tight hug, "I'm so fricken proud of you girl!" she exclaimed. She pulled away, giving her friend a warm smile. Kailey was worried about her friend, but was thrilled to be going to see her family, and happy to be moving up in the rankings. As the large group broke into two, Myra stood in a third, lonely, separate group. She looked up as Four approached, "Myra, you are staying here with the other group." He gave her a long look before adding, "I'm sorry." She nodded before moving to join the second group. There was a moment where Mike protested and said that he should be able to join the first group since Myra couldn't go, a moment during which all the recruits, Eric and Four stared at him. "I guess I'll just stay here then…"he muttered.

Four turned to the group that was staying behind as the other group left. He motioned for them to follow, "Come on, we're going to the Wall." Myra trailed behind the group, speaking to no one. They headed outside to the waiting trucks, climbing in, Myra sitting as far away from the others in the bed of the truck as possible. She watched as the countryside raced by, drawing them closer to the Wall. After a short period of time they came to a halt in front of the Wall. She climbed out of the truck and stood staring up at the Wall, awed by its height. She jogged to catch up with the group, moving quickly up the stairs. She came to a halt on the first level platform, about 50 feet up from the ground, and looked around at the sight before her. A great vastness lay before her, filled with trees, grass, and forest. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the clean, crisp air. "Trainee! Keep up!" Her head whipped around and saw Four further down the platform calling to her. She moved swiftly down the platform to the group and saw that they were standing with a group of four guards.

Her glance landed on one of the male guards, a man close to her father's age, with sandy blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. His cruel looking mouth curled into a smirk at her observation, his eyebrow rising in challenge. There was something so familiar about him…..Her heart dropped, _Oh god no!_ She thought to herself. This was Eric's father. She knew she was right, she could see Eric's features in his face. She took a deep breath and moved to join the group. The other guards were explaining to the trainees what their duties were as guards, and often as hunters. She stood silently listening, keep Eric's father in her line of sight. They were quickly sectioned off into smaller groups, each assigned to a different guard, Myra being assigned to Eric's father, along with Mike and Brad. Eric's father walked them down to his post on the Wall, pointing out the inlets along the wall where each guard had a post. Mike and Brad were sullenly quiet, they had been here before and weren't happy to be back.

Myra stood next to Eric's father, remaining silent for a long moment before asking, "You're Eric's father aren't you?" He looked down at her and smirked, "Why do you want to know trainee?" She was filled with an intense dislike for the man before meeting him and now she wanted to punch him in his smug face. "I'm asking because I know _exactly _how you fucked up your son's life." She glowed with inner satisfaction when the smug smirk was wiped off his face. She squared up to face him, "I know you abused your wife, cheated on her, and destroyed your family by _killing _her. I know that your son is irrevocably different and damaged by what you did. Last, I know that I'm _going to bring you down._" They stood staring at each other until his father leaned in and whispered, "Not if I kill you, little girl." Myra's heart raced, she glanced out at the vast openness and looked back up at Eric's father, smiling softly, "I would love to see you try." She walked away from him and the others, moving further down the Wall to another inlet. She stood by herself, staring out at the landscape. Eric's father was going to pay for what he did to his family; she was going to see to that.

**Later**

Eric was running through the compounds, weaving between buildings, his mind racing. He had wanted to punch that Mike kid for his stupid comments this morning, but had wisely held himself back. His heart had wrenched when he had seen Myra's face, stone-cold, but he could see the pain in her eyes. He made a low growling noise and ran faster. He heard someone coming up behind him, and turned to see who it was. His heart leapt when he saw it was Myra; he slowed, waiting for her to catch up. She ran up to him and punched his arm, "You're it!" she cried, laughing as she ran faster, speeding away from him. He was so happy to see her smiling; he took off after her, grinning. They chased each other for awhile until they were too tired to run anymore, and climbed one of the buildings to sit on the rooftop and look at the stars. Eric lay on the roof with Myra's head on his chest, his hand resting on her hip. He caressed her hip softly, dragging his fingers over her smooth skin, feeling her shiver.

His hand stilled when she spoke, "I saw your father today, on the Wall. He's an enormous ass." He lay still, and then turned his head to look at her, "Yea, I know. What did you guys talk about?" She smiled at him, "What else? You!" She sighed, "I told him I know what he did to your mom and you, and that I'm going to bring him to justice. He didn't seem happy….actually he threatened to kill me." Eric stiffened at that and sat up abruptly, causing Myra to slide off of his chest. He glared at her, "What in the _hell_ where you thinking?!" he yelled at her. She looked up at him incredulously, "Are you serious? I had to do this! For you! He may be your father, be he sure as shit was no parent to you. You deserve so much better, and I'm not going to let him get away with murdering the only decent parent you ever had!" her voice was raised to a near scream at the end of her tirade. She took a deep breath and calmed herself, "I am doing this because I love you ok? I am doing this because I know what it's like to grow up with actual parents. And now I know what it's like to lose them. It's not fair that he took her away from you." She reached up and touched his face gently, watching as his anger drained away, to be replaced with something softer.

Eric gathered her close to his chest and hugged her tightly, whispering in her ear, "I'm sorry. I don't know how to talk about this stuff that well…I guess it comes from not having parents huh." Myra pulled back and leaned up to kiss him softly, but firmly. Eric pulled her more firmly against him, wrapping one arm around her waist, and curling the other into her hair, pulling it out of the pony tail she had it in for running. He nipped at her bottom lip, sucking on it gently, eliciting a moan from her, sending a thrill through him. He tugged at her shirt with his hand at her waist, trying to pull it over her head. She laughed at him softly and pulled away from him, stripping off her shirt before moving to sit in his lap. He placed his hands on her waist, reveling in the feeling of his hands on her skin. He ran his hands up the sides of her waist, barely touching her, watching her face, watching as her eyes drifted closed, a small smile forming on her full mouth. He ran one hand over her stomach, down to the waist band of her shorts, gently rubbing her hip bone with his thumb; his other hand cupped one breast lightly, his thumb brushing back and forth over her nipple, sending waves of pleasure through her body, making her moan louder. Myra ground her hips into his, feeling his hardness press into her dampening core.

Eric's mouth found her neck, nipping and sucking his way down to her collarbone, where he drew his teeth across it, drawing a loud gasp from Myra. She writhed against him, pushing her chest into his hand, making soft moaning noises at his ministrations. Eric palmed both of her breasts before leaning his head down to suck on them gently. "oh god Eric!" Myra moaned loudly. She moved restlessly against his mouth, pushing her breast harder against him, thrusting her hips against his. Eric still suddenly, placing a hand against her mouth, "Shhhhhh" he whispered into her ear. They sat in silence until Myra heard the voices of two other people, Caleb and Kailey, coming up the side of the building.

Myra looked to Eric in panic, her eyes widening. She pushed off of him and grabbed her shirt, pulling it on quickly, grabbing Eric's hand, pulling him behind her as they ran away from Caleb and Kailey. They moved quickly down the other side of the building and into the side of the compound where the Dauntless lived. They leaned against the wall, chests heaving, laughing and smiling at each other, until Eric moved to lean against Myra. "I'm so happy to see you smiling again. I know this has been impossible, but I just want you to know I'm here for you. It's not going to be easy for a long time, and then when you realize you've gotten used to them being gone, it gets hard again." Myra nodded slowly, and then kissed him softly, "If I have you, I can do it. I love you." He kissed her back, "I love you too." She smiled at him before taking off at a jog down the hallway to her section of the building. If she was out too late, she would lose points in the rankings. Eric smiled as he watched her go, taking his heart with her.

**Hey guys, sorry it's taken longer to get these out, I've been busy with work and trying to find a new place to live (my lease is going to be up soon). Oh yea and my current house has mold in it...so my life is a tad stressful right now! But as always, I am so happy to write. Please review and enjoy! much love! **


	12. Wild Hearts Chapter 12

**Hey all! Sorry it's been so long! I'm kinda in love with Myra and Eric! Please review and let me know what you think! Missed writing and missed you all! **

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Myra was sitting in the rafters of the gym compound late one evening, watching the snow fall, when she realized that it was just shy of seven months since she had come here. She heard the rafters shudder behind her and twisted to see who was climbing up. She smiled when she saw it was Caleb and Kae. They moved slowly, coming to join her on the straight shaft that buttressed up against the window. Kae settled back into Caleb's arms with a contented sigh and a wide smile. Myra grinned at her, "You look like the cat that got the cream Kae." The other girl blushed, but laughed, "Well, I certainly got the cream of the crop" she joked. They all laughed; Caleb had consistently been in the top 6 of the group for the past few months without dropping. Myra was back in the bottom 6. They had started fighting with fake knives and guns that were weighted like the real thing, and she was having trouble. Add in the weekend camping trips to teach survival skills and hunting, and she was having a real hard time. Eric had offered to help her, but she was being obstinate. She spent her free time reading up on survival techniques and fighting styles, but it wasn't translating into success. Right now she was taking a break, and simply enjoying watching the snow.

In another week they would get their scores and see who would go to visit their families. Myra expected that she would be staying as usual, but she wanted to ask if instead of going to the Wall, if she could use the time to train. It didn't seem like an unreasonable request, but the Dauntless leaders could be tricky. "I heard that there is going to be a Christmas party tomorrow night!" Kae exclaimed excitedly. Myra looked up with interest, "_Reaaaaally?_ She asked, drawling out the word. Kae nodded enthusiastically, "Four said that it's our Christmas treat that we all get to enjoy." Myra grinned broadly before saying, "Excuse me" and dropping herself from the rafter, shimming and jumping from one to the other, until she dropped to the floor, waving goodbye to her laughing friends.

She ran to the commissary and smiled at the blonde woman behind the counter, "Hey Joy!" Joy smiled back; she and Myra were both originally from Amity and had bonded over their lack of parents. Joy was at least ten years older than her and had become like an older sister. "I hear there is going to be a Christmas party?!" Myra asked Joy excitedly, moving around the counter to sit beside her. Joy laughed, "Yea and it's the only time of the year where people wear pretty much any color they want." Myra looked up in interest at that. Her lips curved in a generous smile, "I'm thinking….red. Something…daring." Joy grinned, "I think I have just the thing for you."She went to the back of the store and came back a few minutes later with a dress, holding it out for Myra to inspect. They shared a smile, and Myra gave her a tight hug, whispering, "Gracias hermana." Joy squeezed her tightly, "De nada hermanita." They pulled apart, Joy gently wiping away a tear from Myra's cheek before nudging her gently, "Get going chica, you have training in the morning." Myra smiled, "See you later. And thank you. This is perfect!" She tucked the dress and a pair of silvery shoes that Joy had given her for free into her bag.

**The next evening**

Myra stood in front of the mirror in the common shower area breathing heavily. They had just returned from a training session in the woods, and she was exhausted. The party was due to start in two hours. They had been in two teams, hunting each other, and her team had won. It would help her score, not that it would matter. She no longer had her parents to visit. She rested her head against the mirror and closed her eyes. She had been so grateful to meet Joy; it had been right after her parents died. She had been coming back from a run outside in the rain and had been shivering and shaking from the cold when she heard a voice call out to her to stop. Joy had taken her aside and down to the commissary to get cold weather running gear. She had given her tea and had listened as she had poured out her broken heart. She had held her while she cried and comforted her with her own story of her parents dying from a virulent disease when she was young. Myra didn't know what she would do without Joy and Eric.

Smiling, she opened her eyes and moved to turn on the shower, stripping off her sweaty clothes. A short time later she was wrapped in her robe while she brushed out her hair and then swiftly plaited it into a braid. She was surrounded by the other female trainees, all of them preparing for the party. Kae and Serena were chatting and laughing near her; Serena joking about finding a Dauntless man to dance with. Myra smiled as she watched them, she wasn't alone, no matter what she thought, these women were her family too. She went to her bed and pulled on her underwear, layered on deodorant and spritzed on some perfume Joy had found for her. She pulled the red dress on, slipped her heels on, and slipped her robe back on. She still needed to do her makeup and wasn't about to ruin the dress. She covered her bruise on her cheekbone (when didn't she have a bruise on her face!?), swiped on mascara, and brushed on some dark eyeshadow, with some silvery powder lightly covering just under her brow. Joy had shown her how to apply makeup, as she had never been allowed to wear it, much like Kae. Smiling at the finished product she turned to Serena and Kae who were both wearing makeup and looked stunning in their purple and silver dresses, respectively. Myra shrugged out of her robe and tossed it to Serena before twirling, "What do you think?" She laughed at their stunned expressions, "That good huh?" They both grinned widely and nodded. The three girls looped their arms together and headed down to the party in the Pit.

The Pit had been transformed, with white colored string lights everywhere, music and food. The trainees looked around in awe, pointing and laughing in joy. Serena, Kae and Myra stood waiting for Caleb to join them so he could see how gorgeous Kailey looked. The two girls moved away from Kailey as he moved swiftly up to her, handing her a delicate winter rose. Caleb grabbed her hand and quickly led her off to dance, Kailey tossing them a huge smile over her shoulder. Myra and Serena laughed and walked over to where the food was, stomachs rumbling. They hadn't had the chance to eat before they had to get ready. They tried to eat as delicately as possible while still stuffing as much food in as possible, laughing at each other's attempts to be polite and satisfy themselves. After a while they decided to venture out into the dance area and began to laugh at their silly movements, pulling funny faces at each other.

Eric had watched Myra enter the Pit, feeling her presence as soon as she entered. His eyes had widened when he had taken in the sight of her. Her long dark hair fell down her back in beautiful big curls; her face was made up, but in a way that brought out the light in her eyes. Her dress was bright red and clung to her body. It looked like it was modest enough from the front, with a sweetheart neckline, cap sleeves, and a high neck…until she turned to say something to Serena. Then his heart had leapt and his thoughts had gotten….inappropriate. Her dress was backless, and dipped all the way down to the bottom of her back, just inches above her bottom. The bottom half of her dress was flowy, but still draped against her lithe body, leaving little to the imagination. "_DAMN! _That is the hottest piece of trainee ass I have seen in a long time!" His fist clenched at the voice of Adam, another trainer, though for the Dauntless initiates. He didn't flinch when Adam punched him in the arm, and definitely didn't smile when Adam grinned at him, "Hey she's the one whose parents croaked right? Think if she drinks a few, and I nod all sympathetic, I can get that?" Eric stared at him coldly for a long moment before answering, "I don't know man, I hear she likes chicks." Adam gave him a puzzled look, "What?! No way! Who?" Eric shrugged, "She spends a lot of time with Joy, and they're always touching and hugging. I even saw them kiss once." It was sort of the truth, he had seen Joy kiss Myra on the cheek when she had been saying goodbye to her, but there was no way he was telling this shitbag that. "Huh, well, I guess I won't know until I go try!" And with that Adam moved away and across the room to Myra before Eric could stop him. He watched in anger as Adam grabbed a drink and handed it to Myra, who though surprised and suspicious, accepted it with a tight smile. He moved closer, but kept out of sight, listening to Adam talk. "So I heard about your parents, trainee Valdez. That was awful, I'm very sorry." He peeked around a person and saw Myra stiffen, though continue to smile. "Thank you, that's very kind" she accepted his words with a small nod. Adam's smile grew larger, thinking he was "working it". They continued to chat about nothing until Adam said, "Hey can I show you something? It's something most transfers don't get to see until they become full Dauntless." Myra looked at him for a long moment, and then said, "Umm, you know, I'm actually going to go find my friends. It has been great talking to you though." She turned to walk away and Eric stiffened, ready to lunge, when he saw Adam grab hold of her wrist, stopping her. "Hey! I wasn't done speaking to you!"Myra spun on her heel and gave him a wintry smile before plunging her heeled foot into his foot, just as she jammed her elbow into this solar plexus. "Well I was done talking to you, you ass hat." She walked quickly away, moving to find Serena.

Eric moved quickly and touched a hand to her shoulder, "Myra." He stepped back, anticipating that she would try to strike again; raising his arm to block her fist. He smiled at her, "Good job. He is an ass hat, and you gave him what we've all been itching to dole out." She gave him a shaky smile, "I'm not going to get in trouble?" He shook his head, "Not if I have anything to say about it." He grabbed her elbow and steered her towards her friend, "Stay with Serena, I'll grab you a drink." He walked over to where he saw Adam approaching Marcus and quickly intervened. He explained what had actually happened to Marcus and took great pleasure in watching Marcus assign Adam to the Wall for a month for repeated disciplinary problems. He nodded to Marcus and grabbed some drinks before heading back to Serena and Myra, who seemed to be just fine by now. The girls smiled their thanks and quickly downed their drinks; they had been dancing again and were tired and thirsty.

Hours later, the Pit began to empty as couples, singles and groups of people left. Myra and Eric had already managed to sneak out separately and meet up. Eric had told her to come to his quarters, but she had refused, worried about being caught after that evening's incident. They had instead met at the church, which was rarely attended. They sat in the loft, with Myra snuggled up against Eric's chest, watching the snow fall outside as they shared a bottle of champagne. Eric pulled a small box out of his pocket and handed it to her, "Merry Christmas." She smiled up at him, pulling off the bow and then the wrapping paper, lifting the lid off, and then stared down at the beautiful bronze locket nestled inside. She lifted it out, the chain slipping through her fingers, and opened it, already knowing what she would see inside. It was a hand drawn picture of her and her parents, smiling and happy. Tears filled her eyes, and she pressed her face into Eric's neck, crying softly for a few minutes before she was able to gather herself. He wiped the tears from her face and smiled at her, "I am sorry they were taken from you, but now you can have them close by." She reached a hand up and touched his cheek softly, "I love it, and I love you." Her eyelids fluttered shut as he lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her softly. **BONG BONG BONG** They jumped apart, laughing at the sound of the church bells. "Merry Christmas Eric. I don't have a gift for you. I'm sorry; I used all of my commissary money on the party."He smiled at her, "You are the best present I could have asked for. You've changed me, and made me a better person." He stroked her face softly, overwhelmed by the love that he felt for this fierce, loving woman. Myra wrapped her arms around him and snuggled into his arms tighter, sighing, "I want to stay here forever." Eric looked out at the snow, creating a blanket of peace and enveloping them in their own little world, "We can for now." He pulled the blanket they were snuggled under tighter around them and watched as the woman he loved fell asleep against him. He couldn't tell her about the threatening letter he had gotten from his father, telling him to get rid of the girl or he would. It would only serve to enrage her, and he had a plan for his father. Justice would come for Jonathan Taylor, of that he was sure.


	13. Wild Hearts Chapter 13

Two weeks later, after New Years had come and past, the initiates were sent into the city to help with snow cleanup and to do patrols with the police in the burned out areas of the Amity housing, where looters had been seen. After shoveling for what felt like hours, Myra was called away by a rough looking police officer named Carl to accompany him on his shift. As they walked through the snow in one sector of the burnt out husks of houses, Myra looked around and wondered if this part of the city would ever not feel haunted. Maybe it was just her. Sighing, she shoved her hands deeper into her pockets and braced her head against the wind.

They continued to walk in silence the snow interspersing with sleet, and she decided that Carl was most definitely _not _the chatty type. She watched as the sky slowly darkened; the others would be back out shoveling later tonight. As they were walking into a new section of the neighborhood they heard a loud noise from inside one of the burnt out houses. Carl motioned sharply for her to fall back behind him, drawing his gun. They fell back, waiting for whoever was in the house to appear. Myra watched as a hooded figure emerged from the burnt out front door, her face twisting into surprise when she saw it was a young boy. Without hesitation Carl raised his gun and shouted, "STOP! Drop whatever you've taken, get on your knees and put your hands behind your head!" She looked at him shock, unable to understand why he was being so forceful with a boy who appeared no more than 12. She watched as panic bloomed on the boy's face, and then took off running. She shoved past Carl and took after him, quickly gaining ground on the young boy.

"Stop! Please!" She called to the young boy, getting ever closer. She finally caught him, grabbing onto his jacket, twisting him around and dropping him to the ground. She put a knee to his back and asked, "You going to stay put if I let you up?" The boy nodded, and she quickly let him up, offering a hand to assist him. He glared at her and refused it, shoving his hands into his pockets, his black hair soaked from the snow, and his cheeks whipped red from running. "Are you ok? What's your name?" she asked, looking him over. He rolled his eyes at her, "I'm fine. Can I go now?" Myra stared at him for a long moment, "No. Why were you looting that house? Don't you care that it was someone's home once? Someone could have died there." The boy glared at her, "Someone did die there- my parents. It's my house. I was going back for some of their stuff." He held her gaze defiantly, daring her to yell at him. Feeling her heart break, Myra gently laid a hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry, my parents died in the fire too. Do you have family you are staying with?" He looked up at her incredulously, "You don't know?" Myra shook her head, puzzled, "What? What should I know?" The boy sighed, "I'm factionless. My parents didn't have any siblings and both my grandparents are dead, so I don't have anyone. So that's that." Myra looked down at him, horrified.

"Hey! You got the kid! Let's go!" They both turned at the sound of Carl's voice, watching him walk towards them. Carl came to a stop in front of them and motioned, "Come on, it's snowing harder and we need to get him to judicial council." Myra and the boy exchanged a glance, but Myra simply nodded and grabbed his arm, towing him along. They trailed a few steps along behind Carl, and she whispered to the boy, "You didn't tell me your name." He looked up to her, "I didn't. It's Jonas." She smiled down at him and whispered back, "I'm Myra, follow my lead when we get to judicial." Jonas nodded and they both fell silent as they trudged through the snow, heading to the judicial council.

They approached the large brick building and entered quickly, eager to be warm. They headed to the third floor court room after being processed, and stood in line behind two other cases. After nearly two hours, Jonas was leaning against Myra's side, sleeping. She smiled softly as she watched him, the poor thing was so tired he was literally asleep on his feet, and from the looks of him, he needed about a month's worth of good meals. At last, their names were called and she gently shook his shoulder, rousing him. The council read over Jonas's crimes—looting, theft, destruction of property, and asked if either Carl or Jonas had anything to say. Carl gave a short statement on what had occurred that evening, and Jonas remained silent, looking up to Myra. She smiled at him before looking to the council, "Ladies and gentlemen of the council, I ask you to hear Jonas's story. His parents were killed in the fire at the Amity housing. He was orphaned without any other family to take him in, and as such was rendered Factionless. He entered his own house tonight, searching for remnants of his family, something to remind him of them, and what he once had. As someone else whose parents died in the fire, I can understand his desire to return to his home. What I cannot understand is the city's decision to abandon him. There are families within Amity who are childless, who could take Jonas in and keep him safe and warm. Instead you chose to make him Factionless. I say that this was the far worse crime." Myra took a deep breath and stared straight at each councilor, watching their faces, seeing impassivity. The eldest woman, with silver hair, on the council inclined her head, "We will recess to discuss." Myra inclined her head in thanks.

She turned to Jonas, "Well?" He grinned up at her, "That was awesome!" Her smile faded when she saw the thunderous look on Carl's face. "You could very well get thrown out of Dauntless for this trainee." She swallowed and then nodded, "Yea, well it's worth it." After another thirty minutes the councilors returned and the silver haired woman stared at them for a moment before speaking, "May I have your name miss?" Myra nodded, "My name is Myra Valdez ma'am. Formerly of Amity, now Dauntless." The woman nodded and then smiled gently, "Well miss Valdez, we are inclined to agree with your assessment of this boy's situation. He will be immediately placed with an Amity family who is childless and in want of a child. We have also decided to do the same for other Factionless children. Congratulations miss Valdez." Myra smiled broadly at the woman before turning to Jonas and gathering him up into a large hug. Her heart swelled when his skinny arms tightened around her waist. She quickly wiped away a tear when she pulled away. The council dismissed them summarily and they headed out to the hall where there was a middle aged Amity couple waiting with a Dauntless officer. The officer nodded to Carl and addressed Jonas; "Are you Jonas?" he nodded, hesitant. The officer held out a hand indicating the couple, "This is the Brenners, they are the family you will be placed with." Jonas looked up to Myra and she could see the fear and hope in his face. She knew of the Brennans, and so she took Jonas's hand in hers and gently led him over to them. They smiled widely at her, Kala Brennan giving her a gentle hug.

"Hi Myra, how are you?" Kala asked. "I'm good! Training is tough, but we only have a few months left." She smiled down at Jonas and then up to Kala and Josh, "I would like you to meet Jonas. He's a pretty cool kid." Kala and Josh knelt down and smiled at Jonas, Kala offering her hand to shake, making Jonas giggle, but shake it anyway. "Hi Jonas, I'm Kala, and we're really excited to have you come live with us." Jonas smiled at her hesitantly, "Can….can we go to my old house sometime soon so I can get some stuff?" Josh placed a hand on his shoulder, "Of course buddy. We would be happy to help you carry stuff if you need help." Jonas nodded seriously, and then smiled at them both, "Ok."

Myra watched from a short distance away, her heart swelling. She thought her heart would bust when Jonas ran back and gave her a tight hug that nearly knocked her over before asking, "Will you come visit me?" She hesitated and then smiled, "I'll try my hardest." He smiled and nodded and then ran back to the Brennans, waving goodbye. Myra waved, and then looked around, not seeing Carl. She asked at the reception desk on third and on the first floor, and found that he was already back on patrol, but she was expected back at Dauntless. Sighing, she wrapped her scarf around her neck, pulled her hat and gloves on and trudged back out into the snow.

As she walked under the stars, she looked up surprised to see it had stopped snowing. The sky was clear and icy cold. She smiled up at the stars and whispered, "Mom, dad, if you can see me, I hope you're proud." She had missed the train and would have to walk the long miles back to Dauntless….damn. She alternated between walking and jogging, not wanting to tire herself out too badly. When she was less than two miles from the compound, close enough to see the lights, a heavy blow smashed into her skull from behind, sending her reeling. She landed face down in the snow, her world spinning, when she heard a scarily recognizable voice, "I told you I would kill you, you little bitch." Her heart seized…oh god…it was Eric's dad. She struggled to her feet, and found him blocking her path to the compound. He grinned maniacally at her. She struck quickly, trying to kick out at his knee, but was immediately blocked and in turn had to try to block his punch to her ribcage. She blocked most of it, his elbow just grazing her. They traded blows for a time until Myra was able to land a punch directly to right eye, followed by a sharp kick to his knee, dropping him. Panting, she wiped the blood from her mouth and nose, "You'll have to do better than that if you want to kill me you ass hole." She punched him hard in the solar plexus, kicking him in the gut, knocking him into the snow. She looked down at him, laying in the snow, and spat blood beside his head. "You worthless piece of shit. It should have been you that died."

She took off, not wanting to linger and give him a chance to get back up and attack her again. She ran, even though her left hip hurt badly, he had kicked her thigh and punched her there repeatedly. By the time she made it inside the compound she was drawing ragged breaths. She came to a stop and leaned against a wall, trying to catch her breath. Wiping her face off, she looked at her hand and saw blood, "Shit" she whispered. She leaned down and grabbed some snow to wipe her face off with, using the inside of her hat to wipe her face dry with. When no more blood came off her face, she hobbled inside the building and headed to her quarters. She stood under the showers, letting the hot water soak away the pains from her fight. She crawled into bed a short time later, suppressing a groan. Tomorrow was going to suck.

**The next day**

They would receive their scores to determine who would be visiting their family in another two weeks, and Myra had gone before the Dauntless leadership to ask if instead of remaining here, if she could go visit Jonas and the Brennans, and also to visit her parent's graves. She had been informed that if her scores were good enough they would allow it. That evening, after training and dinner, Myra met Eric in the gym. His eyes landed on her newly bruised face, ribs and hip. His eyes narrowed, "What happened there?" She shrugged, "The shoveling and the chase with Jonas." He looked at her skeptically, raising a brow. She said nothing; she had already decided she wasn't going to tell him about his father. She went to the weights and began working on strengthening her arms, there was no way she was going to let his father beat her again. She knew how to take down someone bigger than her, but he had surprised her. Now she was pissed, and she had a plan.


End file.
